


Dishonored and Displaced

by Vergil1989



Category: Critical Role (Web Series), Dishonored (Video Games), Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bathing/Washing, Bisexual Female Character, Blindfolds, Canon-Typical Violence, Comedy, Dreams, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Femslash, Finger Sucking, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Gentle Kissing, Gentle Sex, Gentleness, Goddesses, Gods, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Sex, Light Dom/sub, Low Chaos (Dishonored), Low Chaos Emily Kaldwin, Nightmares, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), Porn With Plot, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Romantic Gestures, Scars, Slight Canon Divergence, Tattoos, Team as Family, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2018-10-08 03:30:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 143,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10376877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vergil1989/pseuds/Vergil1989
Summary: Nearly succeeding in destroying Delilah once and for all, freeing her kingdom from the witch's reign, and releasing her father from his stone prison, Emily Kaldwin is instead flung into the world of Exandria.  Battered, wounded, and on the edge of death, it's only by the whim of the Outsider and the generosity of a group of brave adventurers that she still lives.  Adapting to a world unlike any even she could have imagined, Emily will find new friends, perhaps even a family, among this group of misfits that have bonded together through their own world shaking events and deep emotional trials that in some cases, mirror her own.(Around Episode 88/89 of Critical Role, post Dishonored 2.  Spoilers for both will follow most likely)





	1. Another Thursday For Some

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally meant to be just a few random ideas, but it's become a far bigger story now that I've gotten started, thanks to a Critical Role/Dishonored story a good and honored friend pointed me towards. That most of these chapters that will inevitably follow just happen to be of a far more….hot and heavy variety is entirely coincidental I assure you. :P Jokes aside, I hope you enjoy these short little stories between various members of the party as they get to know this latest addition to their messed up little family.
> 
> More notes at the end to follow.

**Chapter 1**

**Another Thursday For Some**

 

“I think she’s waking up.”  Emily groaned and weakly pulled away from the damp cloth that was being gingerly pressed against her forehead.  Being marked by the Outsider had not been one of her finer moments, even if she’d agreed to it at the time, but the fever wracking her now was by far the worst pain she could remember experiencing since beginning her journey to retake her home.  It didn’t help that it was pain born of one of Delilah's black spells, the ugly, smoking welts that dotted almost every inch of her created by the animated insects the witch had summoned to take Emily down.  “You’re safe, you’re amongst friends...mostly.”  The same friendly, feminine voice implored her as Emily tried to pull away from the warm rag as gentle fingers touched one of the welts.  “I think these are cursed, not just poisoned.”

An unseen woman remarked dryly.  “The smoke pouring out of them kinda gives that away.”

“She got stung by a bunch of magicky bees?  That’s gotta sting.  Get it?  Sting?”  A far more gruff, deep gravely voice rumbled from the side of the room, much to his companions’ chagrin as the few she could hear were audibly sighing at the bad pun.

“Stop making stupid jokes.”  Another woman snapped before she felt a second pair of hands gingerly opening her right eye.  Emily could only just make out large, intricately adorned antlers and wild, short red hair through her blurry vision.  “Pupils are blown and dilated, I’d say she’s been poisoned, magically I mean.  So, Greater or Lesser, Pike?”

“Greater.  On three?  Grog?”  A large, heavy hand clamped down on her right shoulder upon the first woman’s prompting.

“Three.”  The second woman stated once their hands met in the center of her chest, a just visible light beginning to envelope their spread fingers.

“W-what- don’t no!” A half conscious Emily started slurring, instinctively jerking back from the warm, tingling sensation that began enveloping her body from head to toe.  It was just as well the heavy handed individual was holding her down, because what should have been completely painless had something recoiling violently from the divinely charged magic flowing through her.  While she never saw the effect it had, her eyes turned pitch black as the Void itself, and an inhuman screech escaped her open mouth.  Just as quickly as the consuming agony hit her, it was over, but it left Emily panting and wheezing heavily as the Outsider’s mark burned painfully on her right hand.

“She’s pact bound to something?!  You didn’t think that’d be worth mentioning Percy?!”  The redhead, and now that she could see far more clearly, Emily focused more on the angry look on the strangely beautiful woman’s face as she berated her companion.

“I didn’t know that’s what that brand on her hand was.  And I was a little more preoccupied with the whole drowning issue at the time.”  A white haired, bespectacled, and far more better dressed man retorted just behind a little blonde child that was only then removing her hands from Emily’s chest.

“What in the name of the Nine Hells did you think it was?”  The redhead retorted.

“Maybe a slaver's brand?”  The person called Percy hissed back.  She’d have laughed at the very idea, except in a way he wasn’t wrong if one wanted to consider the Outsider as a strange kind of mystical slavemaster.  “Wouldn't be the first time.”

Having remained quiet long enough, mostly due to the water she had violently coughed up by then, Emily shook her head, took one look at the shoulder that still had a large, gray skinned hand resting on her, and growled.  “Let me go this instant or you’re going to lose that hand.”

“The first words out of your mouth and you threaten the people that saved you?  That’s not very smart darling.”  Having missed the dark haired woman behind the armored girl in front of her, Emily only realized she was sorely outnumbered since the dark haired archer was hardly the only one in the room.  The large, intricate bow she held loosely in her hands also suggested she was hardly a common criminal.  She was a skilled archer, possibly a mercenary, and a quick look at the rest of them suggested similar experience.

That didn’t stop her from being grouchy however.  “You may have saved me, that doesn't mean that you want to help me.”

The large, gray skinned giant of a man huffed in annoyance before waving a hand dismissively at her.  “You know what, I say we let Percy throw her back where he found her.”

“I'd rather not Grog.”  The dark haired archer retorted dryly.

“Quiet!”  Emily’s attention was jerked back to the armored girl hovering over her.  Her kind glowing eyes.... Her entire body was glowing with radiant golden light!  Expecting some kind of attack, Emily desperately tried to claw and kick her way free, only pausing when the small glowing girl grabbed her by the face.  It helped that no more pain followed, despite her unearthly glow.  “That means you too.  Calm down, everything's alright, you're safe.”

Very rarely did she feel the urge to curse like the men of the Watch, but even with the power at her beck and call, Emily hadn’t seen anything quite like this woman before.  And she was a woman, despite the child like appearance of her face and size.  Something in the small woman’s eyes said she was much older and experienced than she appeared.  “By the Outsider’s crooked cock, I’m calm….calmer at least!  I swear.”  She admitted, now that she was starting to realize that at least some of the group around her were not actively trying to hurt her.  The giant and one of his companions were the exception, but she could care less.  She had so many questions as she gingerly moved her arms to grasp the small girl’s hands and pull them off her face.  “I...apologize for my rash actions.  But who are you and where am I?”  It was only after she’d removed her hands that Emily realized that all of the cursed welts had disappeared, and the pain she’d been in was well on its way to subsiding.  “And what did you do to me?”

“Which question would you like answered first?”  The man they called Percy asked, a little amused half smile etched on his handsome face.

“Don't be an arsehole.” Emily growled as she allowed her head to thunk against the flat surface beneath her.  “I suppose start with the first and work your way from there.”

“Fair enough,” it was only then that Emily saw the dark hooded man step out from behind the giant, a dagger belt resting around his slender waist, and dark raven feathers adorning his metal covered shoulders, “but you could do the same ya know.  Starting with that little mark on your hand and why your eyes turned black.”

“It’s….ugh….a long story.”  Emily hedged, groaning as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position.  And a story that began with what she at first thought had been a very vivid dream when the Outsider first visited her what felt like a lifetime ago now.

“I'll bet.  Here’s how this is going to work, I ask a question, you answer truthly, and you’ll even get answer in return.”  The rogue retorted, all business now.

An excited commotion by the left side of the dimly lit chamber had everyone but Emily giving the richly adorned individual annoyed, exasperated glares.  Emily simply chose to stare, one eyebrow raised in disbelief as a large, clockwork soldier marched just behind the armored young man.  “OH!  Is this an interrogation?  I’ve got that written down somewhere.  Doty!  Check it off the list!”

The dark hooded man, his hands resting on the daggers looped through his belt, was the first to respond to the excited young man and his clunky mechanical soldier.  “Grog, I've got this.  Go take Tary for a walk or something.”

“Because you said he's annoyin’ as fuck right?  Got it! Come ‘ere you!”  Grog, as she quickly surmised, bodily picked the ornately armored man up by the back of his neck as if he were a stray puppy, and started dragging him away.

“Unhand me immediately Jumbo!  Doty!  No!  Don't sketch him now!”  Taryon shouted as he squirmed uselessly in the giant’s grasp, all the while Doty pulled out a thick, leather bound tome and started to draw within its pages.  It was….rather surreal in a way.

“Doty, don’t respond.  Follow Grog outside with Taryon.”  The young ‘girl’ commanded, overriding Taryon’s control over the mechanical soldier.  Once Grog, Tary, and ‘Doty’ were gone, she merely grinned mischievously at Emily’s surprised glance.  “He made the mistake of giving me control of his mechanical companion just the other day.”

“Never a wise choice.”  Emily cautiously answered, while surreptitiously glancing around her for the closest escape route.  All she needed was a few seconds and a wide enough opening.

“Thinking of BAMFing your way outta here?”  The hooded man asked, smiling knowingly as he nonchalantly pulled out one of the most ornate daggers she’d ever seen in her life.  “I wouldn’t recommend it.  You wouldn’t be the first person to try.”

“How-”

“Please, outsmarting assassins, rogues, thieves, and worse is what I do.  Call me Vax’ildan since you wanted to know.  And now you owe me one answer.”

“Emily Kaldwin.”  That they didn’t recognize her on sight said she wasn’t in Dunwall anymore, especially since her face was on half the coins in the city and beyond.  That was both a good thing, and a bad thing.

But before she could ponder just what Delilah had done to her, beyond nearly killing her, Vax continued undeterred.  “See how easy this game is?  You’re on an island in the Ozmit Sea, Vesrah.”

“I don’t recognize the name.”  Emily admitted as she swung her legs over the side of the platform, one hand resting against the side of her head as a wave of dizziness hit her.  Hands were immediately on her as the small woman? steadied her.  It was only when she looked down that she saw the step stool the armored holy woman was standing on.  “I’m from a place called the Isles, Dunwall’s the capital, the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the Empire.”  She didn’t mention the fact she happened to be the Empress of said place.

“Never heard of it.”  Vax said with a shrug of his shoulders.  “Now we get to the interesting part.  How did you get here Emily?”

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you.  What happened to me?”

“Ah ah ah,” She frowned when Vax began waving a finger in front of her face, “that information comes with a price I'm afraid.”

“Fine!  That treacherous bitch Delilah, she was nearly out of my grasp, but I plunged my blade through her back before she could-”  Emily paused in thought as she noticed that these strangers were giving her, and each other, rather odd looks.  Percy in particular looked pale as a ghost, even if he hid it well behind one leatherback gloved hand that he used to stroke the bottom of his chin.  “Will that suffice for now?”

“No partial credit, please continue.”

Sighing in defeat, and needing to get some of the last few months off her chest anyway, Emily decided to share at least some of what had brought her here.  It helped that, despite the way her hand ached anytime she looked at her, the bright eyed, glowing woman at her side was smiling warmly at her.  “She was attempting to flee, I think it was something connected to the Void.  Delilah had painted herself a portal, or another world, I’m not sure, but before she could get through, I stopped her.  She’s one of the few people I’ve ever killed, but she was one that brought untold suffering to so many.”

“Oh-kay.  Long story short, Percival here fished you out of the drink, nearly drowning you both in the process.”  Vax admitted, nodding accusingly towards the nobleman in question, who looked slightly offended for being thrown under the wagon.

Still, he recovered quickly enough as Percy closed the distance between them, his arms folded neatly behind his back.  The gun he kept on his belt however was what drew Emily’s gaze, if only for a moment.  “It was as if you appeared in a flash of blindingly brilliant light, completely submerged underwater.  If not for the light, and my, let us say elevated position, I doubt I’d have seen you at all.”

“You know you were loving every second of it Percy!  Until you jumped off of my back at least.”  The redhead chimed in, which left Emily scratching her head, especially since the rest of her companions hardly seemed affected by the odd remark.

“Yes, well, duty called and all that.”  Percy explained with a sheepish grin.

Deciding to question their possible sanity or lack thereof later, Emily mentally shrugged since she was far more grateful for their assistance anyway.  “Thank you.  I owe you my life.”  If what she was beginning to suspect was true, she’d probably owe these people a lot more before this was over.

“Think nothing of it.  We succeed and fail at saving each other's lives more often than I'd care to admit.”  Percy replied with a shrug of his shoulders, although the less than subtle glance he threw at the man called Vax made her curious.

“And yet you just did dear.”  The archer chuckled dryly, but something flashed in her eyes that had Emily torn between curiosity and wanting to hug her.

She instead settled for simply asking, “Fail...What do you-"

The one called Vax snapped his fingers to regain her attention.  “This Delilah you speak of.  Any chance we need to worry about her causing trouble?”

“No, that I’m sure of.”  It was the only thing she was certain of at this point.  She had seen the light start to go out behind Deliah’s eyes, before the world had become distorted, disjointed, and a swarm of the witch’s stinging insects had chased her through what she was quickly realizing must have been one last attempt at a portal to safety, or to spite Emily by throwing her off of the world she’d known since birth.  There was only one way to find out she supposed, but it took a considerable amount of willpower for the Empress to summon the words to her lips.  “Do...do any of you know how best I can reach the Isles from this place?  Not that I'm ungrateful, but I'd just as soon return home as quickly as possible.”

“If we knew the plane of existence you came from, it wouldn’t be that hard to get you back.”  The red haired woman chimed in, breaking her silence at last as she walked to the rogue’s side.  A gentle hand on his arm had Vax relaxing into her side.  That answered that question at least, even if Emily had no intention of going after anyone in that sense.

But something the woman said left her confused and needing clarification.  “Plane of ex-....oh,” and then it hit and Emily couldn’t stop the curse that followed, “fuck me bloody.  Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.”  Emily groaned as she put two and two together.  “Void take that damned witch, she dropped me in another world entirely, didn’t she?”

“It seems like the most plausible scenario with what little you’ve given us to work with.”  Percy agreed reluctantly.

Trying to remain calm, she failed spectacularly as she pushed off the stone platform and started pacing the length of the room.  “This is perfect.  I win back my throne from that damned witch, and she has the last laugh.  I don’t even know if my father’s alive, dead, or still frozen in marble.  And to make it worse, my kingdom is in ruins, my people without their Empress to put the pieces back together.”  She was ranting and she didn’t care as she stopped at the stone platform and slammed her fists into its surface.  “Damn it!”  Hot, angry, shame filled tears pooled in her eyes as she futilely beat at the stone.  Wisps of black smoke began to coalesce and pour off of her with every slam of her fists, increasing in volume every time her hands came down.

“Everyone out!  It's a trap!”  Percy yelled, producing the crude looking firearm she’d spotted earlier from under his coat.

Before he could think about pulling the trigger, his arm snapping up with surprising speed, Emily snapped up her own and shot forth a tendril of black void at his wrist.  The whip like tendril snatched the gun from her opponent before a blade of shadow appeared on her other hand, formed completely of the same black smoke that was pouring off of her.  “Try that again and I’ll rip you in half.”  She growled, her voice sounding far more demonic than human now as her face dissolved, replaced by a toothy maw with sunken, skeletal eyes boring holes through Percy’s head.  The smoke had since consumed her completely, making her seem more shadow stuff than human at this point, but the awe inspiring terror was the same since even the least perceptive among them could see the cold, calculating fury behind those sunken eyes.

Having his own gun leveled at his head, Percy was in no position to argue even as he waved Vax, Pike, and the rest of the group down before they could try to come to his rescue.  “Alright.  I won't resist you, you insufferable bastard, but let them go!  I’m the one that destroyed you, twice, not them.”

“What in the void are you ta-”  Before she could finish, a giant fist slammed into the back of Emily's head.  Even as a shadowy wraith, she felt the impossibly strong impact that sent her tumbling right over the platform.  She didn’t see it, but the moment she hit the ground, the smoke and Void stuff disappeared, leaving her as human as she’d began.

The gun in her hand clattered away harmlessly towards Percy, who picked it up with trembling fingers.  Grog didn’t notice as he stood over the unconscious Emily, a confused look on his face as he none too gently nudged the woman in the ribs with his left boot.  “Got bored.  Huh.  Well that was disappointingly easy.  Aren't these demony things supposed to be like, you know, tough to kill?”

“Whether or not this is the work of Orthax, we shall soon find out.”  Percy declared as he kept his gun trained on the woman on the ground at his feet.  Keyleth’s hand on his arm steadied his hand, but he was finding it difficult to keep from panicking at how eerily similar that shadowy form had been to Orthax.

“I still say we should dump her back in the sea.  Let her drown as nature intended. Then she can be the Raven Queen’s problem instead.”  Grog rumbled, making his thoughts abundantly clear on the matter.

“After that, I’d almost be tempted to agree with you Grog.”  Vax mused, but sharing a look with his sister, the rogue wasn’t so certain she was a threat.  “Having said that, I can’t help but be curious about her.  She could have just as easily shot Percy and been done with it, but she merely disarmed him.  Quite spectacularly I’ll admit, but still, she’s had training, extensive training.  And then there’s that lovely rant she gave before she turned into a piss poor copy of our smoky friend.”

“We're _not_ killing her.  At the very least, she must be possessed like Percy was.”  Pike added as she knelt over the unconscious woman.

“It’s a pact, not a possession.  We’ve dealt with ghosts, this was more a demon or perhaps even something else attached to her.  I remember because when we used our magic to heal her, she didn’t like it much.”  Keyleth was quick to explain.  “It would also make sense why you were able to put her down with one punch Grog, since you’re still wearing the Vestige.  That was obviously a pretty powerful magical transformation, I think if we hadn’t hit her with magic of some kind, she’d have phased right through it without effect.”

“I’d say we wait till she wakes up and then question her gently.  The stress of being… away from home might have triggered this phenomenon.” Percy said lowly, and looked the still unconscious young woman. “She didn't kill me when she had the chance, that has to count for _something_.  So I’m with Vax and Pike on this one.  She’s not a threat unless provoked, and I’d say we’ve already done that.”

“No surprise.”  Vex muttered, but she shrugged when everyone turned to her.  “What?  She’s a beautiful woman, of course you’d want to protect her.”  When Percy started to open his mouth to protest, Vex merely chuckled and smiled playfully.  “I’m kidding darling, but you are right,” she mused as she hopped over the platform before she too stood over the unconscious woman, “she’s dangerous in the same way my brother is.  She used only enough movement to accomplish the job, nothing more nothing less.  That speaks of training alright, and if she really is an Empress, well, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for killing royalty…..more than we’ve done already I mean.”

“Better days, better times.”  Percy mused, remembering their trip into the Underdark with fondness despite the number of close calls they’d had.  Their recent adventures had been far more harrowing, so this was a nice change of pace honestly..

“Okay, we found that perfectly flat skipping stone Grog.... And what did we miss.”  Taryon asked dejectedly as he ran back in the chamber with Doty clammering up behind him.

“Show me!” Grog eagerly demanded and marched over to Taryon before pointing at Emily with a thumb over his shoulder. “Oh, and the pretty lady went all demony.”

“Ah.  Perhaps one of you could relate the tale to my manservant.”

Without missing a beat, Pike looked up to the mechanical soldier, and said, “Doty.  Please go catch me a nice fish.”

“Wait!  Doty no!  Bad automaton!”  But Taryon’s efforts to stop Doty as it marched out of the room went unheeded.

“Can I just say how much I love the evil new you Pike?” Percy offered with a grin. “So, to Whitestone then?”

“That would probably be a good idea guys.”  Keyleth muttered as she turned to the door, gesturing to the curious onlookers that were rightfully worried about the inhuman screams they’d no doubt heard.

“Oh oh!  Does this mean I get to throw her through a tree?!”  Grog asked, perking up immediately at the thought.

Pike was just as quick to gently, if firmly, deflate him.  “No Grog, but you can gently carry her.”

“Awww….alright, for you Monstah.  Take all my fun away.”  Grog pouted, but he offered no further complaint as he carefully slung the unconscious Emily over one large shoulder.  “You got the rest of her crap then?  I doubt it’d be safe in me Bag of Holdin’ since I don’t know what half of it is.”

“Yes we have it, don’t worry.”  Vex reassured the goliath.  “I doubt Percy could leave her fancy gun behind even if I threatened him with no sex for a year.”

“Is that a real threat or merely a jest?”  Percy asked, genuinely curious as to which one it was.

“Just pick up the damn gun Percy.”  Vex grumbled and gestured towards the pile of equipment they’d wisely taken off of Emily before she’d come around.  Crossbow bolts, many of which held various poisons and concoctions built into the shafts, potion tubes in two distinct colors, bombs, grenades, and more pistol shells than many of them had ever seen on a person.  The spyglass they’d found in her belt alone was probably worth more than many of their weaker magical items put together.  That, Vex had nearly pocketed herself, but she hadn’t decided if she would yet.  It was the only reason the spyglass hadn’t already disappeared into her pack.  “You know, we _could_ just-"

“No.”  Vax cut her off, knowing full well what she was thinking.  “The sister I know unthinkingly threw a pile of gold at a slaver to save those boys.  We're _not_ taking her shit.  Unless we kill her, then you can loot her corpse guilt free.”

“Fine bother.”  Vex grumbled, but the wicked gleam in her eyes said she forgave Vax his damnable conscience.

\----------------------------------

An hour later saw Emily waking up, yet again, with most of her face hurting, only this time she felt like a boulder had been thrown at her.  She quickly realized, once she looked around, that she was one, not shackled down or even bound to the bed she woke up on in the slightest, and two, that she wasn’t alone.  “Why?”  She asked, more annoyed than afraid even as she considered spanning the distance between herself and the dark hooded man sitting in a chair on the other side of the room in the next heartbeat

The rogue merely shrugged in response to the question, but the movement was all he needed to make one of his daggers appear in his open hand.  “Oh good.  Smoky’s up everyone.” he called out to the open door all without looking away from her, “Now we're going to play a different game, it's called ‘every time you lie I cut off a finger.’ The rules are very simple.”

“I’ve played this one, it didn’t end so well for your would be guardsman.”  Emily muttered coldly in response.

“He learns fast, as do the rest of us Brandy.”  Vax replied calmly, seemingly unaffected by the murderous glare she was throwing his way.

Emily got up with a groan only to find herself trapped in some sort of invisible sphere.  Putting her hand against the translucent surface, she pushed on it, even went so far as to slam a fist into the shimmering, round field, but it didn’t give at all.  “What is this?”  She knew it was magic, that much was obvious, but she’d never seen its like before, and she had seen a lot.

“Please do enjoy your new accommodations. That will be a thousand gold by the way.”  The man they’d called Taryon cheerfully informed her.  “For the spell material costs I mean.  What?  You think quality magic like this comes cheap?”

“No, I know that it doesn’t.”  Emily replied, surprising Vax with the sorrowful note he heard in her voice.  Shaking off whatever melancholy had taken her, she looked between them before crossing her arms over her tight, form fitting vest.  “If you’re going to interrogate me then kill me, I'd rather just get it over with.”

“As much as we considered it,” Percy began as he walked into the small bedroom she realized, upon giving the space a quick once over, “we decided to take a far less harsh approach to what we realize was a simple misunderstanding, despite the fact you seem to be attached to something rather nasty.  Trust me, I’ve been there.”

It was then Grog stomped into the room, took one look at Emily, and stuck his head out back into the hallway before bellowing, “Hey!  Demon lady’s awake.”  Turning back to Percy and Taryon, he crossed his large arms over his barrel chest.  “Are we going to cut her hand off now?  Because I call dibs!”

Percy groaned and let his head drop with abject exasperation at his friend’s outburst.  “Grog.... No, we are not.  Please just go.  And Tary please leave us as well if you wouldn't mind.”

“And miss learning from your cunning mental probing and prodding?”  The  blonde mustachioed man looked positively downtrodden at the thought.

Vax was less gentle in his command as he pointed to the door.  “Taryon, out.  Grog, you too.”

“Forgive Grog, he’s….single minded.”  Simple minded would have been the word Emily’d use, but she didn’t get a chance to speak as Percy waved his hand dismissively towards where the giant and Taryon had once stood, having since left per his instructions.  “But please, we do have our worries, I’m sure you understand.”

Emily did, and she was honestly grateful to be alive after her….outburst.  If she’d done that in front of someone from the Abbey, they wouldn’t have simply knocked her out and waited for her to wake up.  “I do, and I am grateful you didn’t just kill me out of hand.  Despite our….rough beginning, I appreciate that the worst you’ve done, besides the pounding headache, is confine me in a sphere of some kind.”

“I'm at a bit of an impasse if I'm being honest.  All my instincts are screaming at me to end you this very moment.  Yet my curiosity and the general opinion of most of my friends stays my hand. At least for the time being.”  Percy admitted, but Emily wasn’t surprised by his pragmatic opinion of her.

“Actions speak louder than words.”  She mused, which earned a little nod from Percy.  Considering she was still alive and unharmed, she was willing to explain herself to Percy if nothing else.  “You caught me off guard earlier, but you gave me little reason to kill you, or your companions.  I don’t take life needlessly if I can help it.  My father taught me better than that.”

“Your father?  That’s a switch.”  Vax muttered with a just visible eyeroll from beneath his hood.  “Most of us can’t stand our fathers, standing tradition I suppose.”

“He must have been a hell of a fighter.”  Percy offered offhandedly.

“ _Is_ , he is an excellent fighter, unless Delilah's spell didn’t break and he’s still frozen in marble.”  Emily countered, with more heat than she intended before she could reign herself back.

“Just so we are being perfectly clear, I would like to show you something Emily, or would you prefer Lady Kaldwin?”

“Since I’m without my throne or my crown, or even in the same world anymore, Emily will suffice.”  She replied tiredly, one hand covering her face as she took a steadying breath.  Admitting it aloud was...harder than she expected it’d be.

“Very well then Emily.”  Percy offered with just a hint of a grin, gesturing to a small table next to him.  “On this table rests a coin, which Taryon so kindly imbued with the spell currently holding you.”  At a nod from the man, Vax gently lifted a red piece of cloth, exposing a single gold coin wedged between two small stones.

“One of my finer tricks I might add!”  Taryon cheerfully called out through the door, earning an annoyed glare from Vax and an amused eye roll from the gunslinger.

“I imagine there’s more to it than merely maintaining this sphere.”  Emily stated rather than asked, which earned an approving smirk from Percy.

“Yes, quite right, very perceptive of you I might add.”

“You don’t live long as an Empress if you aren’t.”  Emily countered with a shrug of her shoulders as she let her hands fall to her sides.

“I imagine you wouldn’t.  But yes, notice that the coin is upright so that neither face is touching the flat surface of the table.  That’s because a  heads sided fall will release you, allowing you to walk free.  Tails will make the sphere collapse with rather messy results, but not before crushing you into a very small space.”

“I feel like I should be offended by having my fate decided by a flip of a coin, but since I don’t have a means to argue.”  She muttered but nodded her approval of the rather ingenious trap she was stuck in.  It was far more foolproof than most she’d ever seen, or escaped from for that matter.

“It could be worse your Highness.  We could have just left your corpse on the reef we found you on.”  Vax helpfully informed her.

The deadpan look she leveled on Vax said she wasn’t amused by the man’s attempt at humor.  “Some would consider that a blessing in comparison to my current… predicament.”

“But life is so full of interesting possibilities.”  Percy was quick to point out, something that had an involuntarily chill going down Emily’s spine since the Outsider had a tendency of making similar remarks anytime they spoke.

But if they expected her to beg for her life, they were going to be sorely disappointed.  She simply stood straighter, glaring at them both with equal, steady defiance, resigned to whatever fate awaited her from here.  “I've told you everything I know.  Just end it.”

Percy smiled darkly and shook his head at her flat denial.  “Forgive me for saying this to a fellow woman of noble blood, but I do believe you're lying Emily.”

Vax was almost disappointed with her.  “Damn, and I don't even get a finger.  Oh well.”

“That brand on your hand, I would very much like to know how you acquired it.”

“How does anyone acquire power?  I made a bargain with a being far more powerful than either of us.  The price….was not mentioned at the time.”  It was the closest she’d get to admitting just how much it had cost her to these strangers, to be where she was now.  While she was willing to die, she wasn’t ready, she still had so much she wanted to do.  That and too many people were counting on her to make it home, her father included.

“See, I told you so!  You fucking blue bloods and your demonic dealings.”  Vax gloated as Percy reached into his pocket and handed him a small sack of coins.  Once it was safely stuffed away, it was only then Vax asked the next question, “but that does leave us with quite the pickle, Empress.  What was the deal for?”

There was little point in lying, but she didn’t have to reveal the whole story either.  Just enough to satisfy their curiosity.  “The power to save my homeland from a dangerous and powerful witch, this part you know already.  How I chose to use it was entirely up to me. And for your information, the entity I dealt with was not a demon.”

“Oh, how fascinating, please do enlighten us.”  Despite his flippant remark, Percy was keenly interested.

“We….call him the Outsider.”  Emily replied with some hesitation, not because she was afraid to tell them, but because there were countless superstitions about announcing his name and inviting him into your house to your detriment.  “He walks in the dark places between the waking world, and the Void, a vast, gray nothingness that stretches beyond creation itself, or so I’ve always heard at any rate.  I always thought he was a mere fable, to keep children in their beds and to explain those who gave way to sin and vice, even if I never believed the Abbey’s propaganda and dogma.  I’ve since learned more about the Outsider than I ever wanted to know.”  She finished by glancing at the mark on her hand, the brand forever burning softly just beneath her skin.

Vax was not alright with that bit of news as he put two and two together.  “Of course she had to one up you by selling her soul to _a god_ rather than a mere demon Percival.”

The hard, unforgiving look Percy was leveling at her was matched only by the dark glare Vax was casting at her from beneath the confines of his hood.  “Now, listen to me _very_ carefully Emily.  Are you in control of these dark gifts or not?”

While she knew her answer would decide her fate, Emily was able to answer this question honestly and firmly.  “Yes.  The Outsider might have struck a deal with me, but he isn’t about to subvert my free will, or the will of any he ‘gifts’ with his power.  He enjoys watching us mortals run around, changing history as we go along.  He is normally at the center of world shaking events, but never the catalyst.  He’s….an observer of chaos for lack of a better way to describe him.”

While he was still on edge, Vax visibly relaxed as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.  “Looks like you've come to the right place Brandy.”

Percy ignored him, but he too relaxed slightly as well.  That didn’t mean he was done with her though of course.  “I only have one last question for you Emily.  What precisely would you do if I allowed you to leave that sphere?”

The little, if thin, smile that pulled at the Empress’s lips was somehow reassuring to the two men.  “I don’t expect you to believe me, but right now all I want to do is try and figure out just how far off the beaten path I’ve been thrown.  Beyond that, I want what anyone would want in a situation like this, to be given a chance to live if nothing else.  A hot meal and a bath wouldn't hurt though.”  Her clothes were a bloody, grime covered mess, she felt sore everywhere, and she was pretty sure fighting through Delilah's painted world hadn’t done any favors for her hair.  It’d take forever to get the tangles out of it, but despite all that, she was hopeful that Vax and Percy would see reason and let her out.  She’d work on the rest from there, however long that ended up being.

“Alright then, I think we've heard enough Percival, what say we-" Vax reached out to grab the coin, only to send it rolling out from between the stones and towards the small table's edge.  “Fuck!”

“Grab it you oafs!”  Emily shrieked, her brown eyes widening as she saw it fall to the ground in slow motion as both Percy and Vax jumped out of their chairs.  That was a mistake because they only ended up getting in the other’s way.  She sucked in a breath when the coin hit the ground and instinctively prepared herself for the worst when... nothing happened.  Slowly pulling her arms away from her face, Emily glared coldly towards Vax and Percy as they jumped to their feet, looking quite smug with themselves.

Percy was the first to recover as he held up the coin, a triumphant grin on his face.  “Heads!  Would you look at that.  Also, the sphere was conjured out of a diamond, not this coin.  And it should be dispelled in....”

“You Void cursed, twisted, crooked son of a cock sucking bitch.”  Despite the scathing glare she leveled on them both, Emily couldn’t keep the angry scowl on her face for long as Percy tossed her the coin.  A simple flick of her wrist had the coin between her fingers, which told her the barrier was gone and she was indeed free to go.

“A small keepsake for you.  Rule of thumb when dealing with us,“ Percy began as she slowly lowered her hand, pocketing the coin as she did, “expect us to treat you like a member of a _very_ strange, _very_ extended family.  Or in other words, badly.”

“I see.  Thanks for the _heads up_.“  Emily replied, and while she likely still had reason to be concerned for her wellbeing, she found the almost friendly grin on Vax’s face, and the welcoming smile on Percy’s to be ever so slightly disarming.

Curiously, Vax tugged at his ear with a knowing wink. “Everybody relax, we will _not_ be fucking shit up tonight.”

“A communication device?”  Emily asked, to which Percy smirked and shrugged.

“Of a sort.  Stick around and you might see a bit more.”

Giving the white stoned chamber a once over, Emily couldn’t help but smile in response.  “Well, since I don’t know anyone else right now.”  She trailed off, but she doubted she needed to go into details with these two individuals.

“Sensible _and_ clever, I think you’ll do just fine around here Emily.” Percy chuckled as he nodded his head in approval before his wide smirk turned into a slight frown.  “And I do apologize for our deception, but you'd be shocked how often that works.”

As fascinating as she’d have normally found such a conversation, Emily had far more pressing concerns on her mind.  “Just lead me to food and drink, all will be forgiven.  Provided I get to kick that Taryon bastard in the balls.”

“Oh I definitely like you Brandy.  I’m sold, especially since Tarry’s an annoying little shit, even if he does has his uses.”

“It’s those uses I’d rather keep on our side, but….” Percy trailed off, before an evil little smirk once more appeared on his face, “what the hell.  I’ll not stop you if you decide to make your displeasure known to him.”

“We'll tell him it's just more practice.”  Vax offered nonchalantly as he stood and started for the door, a spring in his step as he put a hand on Emily’s shoulder.

Percy was all for it as he brought up the rear of their little group.  “Excellent idea Vax.”

“And just so we’re clear, I’m _not_ paying him one shiny penny.”

“We didn’t think you would, but it’s no problem, we have plenty of gold to go around.  The perks of killing several dragons I suppose.”

That, more than anything, brought Emily up short as she stopped mid step.  “ _Dragons_?”  She breathed out, her eyes wide, more at how easily the word had simply rolled off of Percy’s tongue, as if it were an everyday occurrence.  It’d come too naturally for it to be a lie.

“Don't say a word Percival, Kiki and my sister will never let it go if we steal their thunder.”  Vax warned, ignoring the growing disbelief that was becoming permanently etched into Emily’s face.

“Quite right.  Besides, they tell it with so much more enthusiasm.”  Percy retorted, far too easily and cheerfully for Emily’s liking.

“Just what have I gotten myself into?  ...I think I’ll take that drink now.  Or a very big hookah with the strongest herbs you can find.“  This was starting to become too much at once, even for her.  Dragons, magic, people that were obviously hardened against the supernatural.  What had she gotten herself into indeed?

Getting the impression that wherever she was from didn’t have quite the same wonders they were used to, Percy shared a mischievous grin with Vax before he turned to Emily once more.  “Have you ever seen a magical jug of wine?  Because you will tonight.”


	2. The Ultimate Hangover Cure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No smut yet, but it's coming, no pun intended lol, but I DO include a fair amount of comedy gold that I hope you'll enjoy. I also include a bit of emotional angst and what have you, but you can't have one without the other with Vox Machina. At any rate, enjoy everyone and hope you continue to leave those wonderful reviews I've seen. Peace!

**Chapter Two**

**The Ultimate Hangover Cure**

Emily groggily opened her eyes, enjoying a few moments of blissful warmth and peaceful quiet before the hangover struck with full force.   Wincing in pain, she sat up to discover an odd assortment of items on the bedside table next to her.  A folded piece of parchment labeled, ‘Complementary Flashcard’.  A large mug of what she desperately hoped was ale, more to wash out that dry taste from her mouth.  And lastly, a small pouch with a note attached.

She didn't hesitate in deciding which to grab first, as she got up, nearly tripped over the blanket she took with her, and downed what was indeed a blessed mug of ale in less than ten seconds.  Wiping at her lips, she mentally vowed to kiss the bastard that had that particular bit of foresight.

Next, deciding give into her curiosity, she reached for the folded parchment.  Opening it, she discovered a well drawn and labeled sketch.  It depicted her, drenched and unconscious, smoking cursed welts covering her body lying on a stone platform, with the seven people she had so recently met crowded around her.  Oddly, all their names had been written above their images in beautiful calligraphy after the fact.  It was also hard to miss the concerned looks on most of their faces, especially Pike and Keyleth, the ‘small child’ and the red haired beauty with the ornate crown of antlers, who were obviously in the process of trying to aid her.  Grog and Taryon closely observed them with a mix of awe and wonder, Taryon, and mild boredom, Grog.  She had to laugh as her brown gaze shifted to a drenched Percy, by the Outsider’s crooked cock could his full name be only longer?  But then again, who was she to judge?  Her full name and title put Percy’s nearly to shame in length alone.  He was calmly absorbing what looked to be a less than kind worded lecture from a furious Vex’ahlia, while a sympathetic Vax’ildan was resting a hand on Percy’s shoulder.

Smiling despite herself, Emily frowned when she read the small note at the bottom of the page.

‘You're quite welcome for this interesting little reminder of our eventful first meeting.  Hope you slept well Empress.  Also, that will be five gold please.’           - Tary

She was sorely tempted to rip the thing in half, keeping the picture and disposing of Taryon’s message, but instead neatly folded it and stuffed it in one of her coat pockets, which was currently draped over the back of a chair that was situated in front of a simple writing desk.  While she didn’t remember putting it there, she was glad to see all of her equipment and personal belongings were arranged neatly on the desk.  Besides, she wouldn't want to constantly get Vax and Vex’s names reversed would she?

Finally, she plucked the note from the pouch, smirking as she read its finely quilled contents.  Percival’s neat hand was immediately recognizable, even if the slant of his writing would have left her grammar tutors pulling their hair out at the roots.  She found the little quirk to be endearingly amusing though as she read the message.

‘Good morning your Highness, I do hope you've availed yourself of the ale Keyleth considerately insisted on leaving for you.  Inside the attached pouch you will find five gold coins, may I humbly suggest you deliver them to Taryon by throwing said pouch at his head?  Breakfast shall be awaiting your imminent arrival.’

Best Regards,

-Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III

Emily rolled her eyes before she began to rummage through the writing desk, finding a spare feather quill and an actual inkwell.  She was used to fountain pens with a reservoir of ink already inside them, but she managed to muddle through and write a halfway decent response.  And as archaic it was to use a feather quill, she found it oddly charming with its simplicity as she waited for the ink to dry, taking the time to gather herself for whatever the day brought next.

Last night had been….largely forgotten since she hadn’t restrained herself from imbibing a great deal of wine.  No one had blamed her though, that she was sure of, although in retrospect, she found it odd that they were so accepting of her incredibly outrageous story.  If she hadn’t experienced it for herself, Emily wouldn’t have believed any of this were possible.  But with the things she’d seen just from the group she had been saved by, the alchemical jug Percy had mentioned being just one example she could actually remember, she came to the conclusion that perhaps her tale, what parts she’d shared at any rate, wasn’t so outlandish to them after all?

A gentle knock on the door as Emily slid her arms through her jacket’s sleeves had her attention.  “Lady Kaldwin?  I’ve been asked to escort you down to the dining hall.”

“I’m decent, come in.”  She replied gently as she did what little she could to straighten the rat’s nest that was her dark brown locks.  That bath she’d had before the drunken celebrations had done wonders for her temperament, but at some point it’d gotten all tangled up again.  Her lady in waiting would have thrown a fit to see her in such a state.

The door opened behind her, allowing a ruggedly handsome, dark skinned individual into the room.  The guard smirked and bowed his head in respect towards her as he casually leaned against the open door.  “Ah.  You are far too beautiful to grace those benevolent scoundrels with your mere presence.  If you do not mind my saying so, your Highness.

Emily couldn’t help but smile at what she felt was honest praise, even though she knew she was still a mess.  “Thank you, but there’s no need for empty flattery.”

“Who said it was empty?  I only speak the truth my lady.”  The guard replied, the smirk on his slightly bearded face hardly faltering.  “So what if you have a bit of bedhead?  You should see Percy and Vex, you’re at least standing upright without assistance.  And don't get me started on Grog-”

“I don't believe I shall.  Could I trouble you for your name sir?”  Emily asked while politely steering the conversation to something far less head spinning.  Merely thinking about the group that had saved her was enough to remind her of the headache still throbbing behind her eyes.

“Oh?  Ahem, I am but a humble servant of Vox Machina and the Lady Cassandra de Rolo.”  Recognition flashed in Emily’s brown eyes and the guard smirked in acknowledgment.  “Yes, that de Rolo has a sister.  Charming woman, despite what she had to endure, or because of it.  But my apologies, that story is not mine to tell, and you asked for my name.  It is merely Jarrett Howarth, and it is a very good honor to meet you Lady Emily Kaldwin.”

“Jarrett,” she tested the name, and found it to her liking as she finished fooling about with her hair and started towards the man at the door.  He made no move to intercept her, but she didn’t miss how his eyes fell to the seemingly empty hilt of the sword looped through her belt.  Emily smiled tightly in turn as she tapped the side of the sword hilt, indicating a pressure activated button where the thumb would fall when the hilt was grabbed.  “You’re not a mere servant.”

“No I am not,” Jarrett agreed cheerfully as he walked just ahead of the Empress once she’d left the bedroom, “but it’s nice to see you’re quite perceptive for a woman of your station.  Most rulers I’ve come across were lucky to have two brain cells to rub together.”

“Do all of Lady de Rolo’s guards speak so insultingly of their betters?  Because I could get used to this place.”  Jarrett was taken aback by Emily’s blunt response, but the slow smile that spread across his face was matched only by her own.  “I can assure you, I’m not like most rulers you’ve come across.”

“Good to know.”  Jarrett replied once he’d recovered from his momentary surprise.  “Please, if you will follow me?  This place can be rather confusing, but I’m sure I don’t have to tell you.”

“Of course.”  Once more, Emily was taken aback by the seemingly easy acceptance displayed by the locals, but she wasn’t about to complain about it either.  She could have just as easily wound up in the company of simple minded folk.  Whatever the case, she followed Jarrett with her head held high, and her face schooled into the mask she normally wore among a room full of strangers and sniveling nobles alike.  Only her father and those she trusted ever saw her without her public face which was largely unreadable to all but the most observant.

“Ah.  Here we are.  Enjoy the chaos that is breakfast around this place.  Be pleased, your highness.”  Jarrett stated once they had navigated the stairwells and corridors of Whitestone Castle.

Stopping just long enough at the grand doors they had stopped in front of, she gave Jarrett an acknowledging nod.  “I'll try my very best.”

“Oh-kay then.  If you'll excuse me, I need to show a dozen recruits the difference between their ass and a hole in the ground.”  She didn’t wait for him to walk away, but she did give Jarrett one last grateful nod which he returned before spinning on his heel.

Entering the dining hall, Emily wasn’t surprised to see the few people up and about were nursing their drinks, some with ice packs pressed against heads and necks in an effort to reduce their hangover induced headaches.  It wouldn’t help of course, but it was an effort she could appreciate even though she had very rarely indulged to such extremes as she had yesterday.  “Good morning.”

“Dressed, well kept, and standing upright,” Vex groaned, her face planted into the surface of the table, “how I hate you right now.”

“Don’t be jealous Vex,” the pretty redhead moaned right next to her, looking almost as miserable as her companion as she straightened in her chair, a rag wrapped around a handful of ice cubes, which was pressed against the side of her head.  Her crown of antlers was missing Emily noticed, but she was sure she had mentally identified Keyleth all the same, “although I do have to ask how you’re looking so composed.  I can barely keep my eyes open after last night’s blacked out blur.”

Emily smiled softly as she closed the short distance between them, bypassing Vex completely.  “Well I can't take full credit for my better than expected state.  But I would like to thank you for the hair of the dog you so graciously provided.”  Before Keyleth could begin to wrap her muddled head around her words, Emily bent down and left a quick, chaste kiss on the druid’s forehead.

“Wow, that was quick.”  Vex muttered dryly from behind her.

“I’m simply following some good advice.”  Emily retorted without looking over her shoulder.

“Y-y-you….ahem.  You’re welcome, Lady Kaldwin.”  Keyleth stammered out once her cheeks had started to return to a far less bright shade of red.  “Just so you know, I’m going to have a word with Percy.”  She told Vex, who had since sat up and was giving the two of them a wide grin.

“Why?  I rather liked the show.  It’s making me forget my pounding headache.”

While she knew very little of them, Emily couldn’t help but pick up the good natured, sisterly teasing between the two women as she sat down at the table to Keyleth’s right, with Vex on her left.  “Perhaps if you drank more and talked less, you'd find your headache had already gone,” It wasn’t until she took a sniff of Keyleth’s glass that Emily quickly amended her last statement, “Something non alcoholic.”

“Yup.  I hate you.”  Vex muttered as she took a large gulp of her ale.

“No you don’t.”  All eyes turned to the door as an amused, if equally hung over Percival, walked in, looking almost as well dressed and put together as Emily.  Sitting down next to Vex, the nobleman groaned as he leaned into the sharp eared woman’s side.  That was something else Emily was trying to get used to, but she didn’t get to ponder it for long as he took one look at her and smirked dryly.  “Although I might have to change my mind.  You look entirely too put together for my liking.”

The loud, joyful clap that preceded the heavy footfalls of Taryon’s clockwork soldier had everyone in the dining hall groaning in pain.  The cheerful greeting Taryon delivered as he walked in didn’t help their respective headaches.  “Morning all!  Oh what a gloriously beautiful day!  Doty, take a note, ‘The day began with a hopeful joy in the air, also the smell of coffee and bacon.  End chapter.”

Emily could scarcely believe what she was seeing as she shared a look with Vex, Percy, and Keyleth.  “Oh you heard that correctly, he does indeed do that.  I just wish he would do it much more _quietly_.”  The menacing growl in Percy’s voice had Taryon smiling sheepishly as he put his hands over his mouth.

“Doty,” Taryon whispered up to the robot at his side, “quiet down your movements old friend.  I think our companions may have had quite the night of debauchery.”

“Oh not quite,” Percy was quick to inform the group, “but there were some embarrassing but harmless shenanigans, nothing to write home about though.”

“Don't worry, I had Doty write all of it down in detail for you.”  Taryon cheerfully informed them, while Doty held open the spot of the thick, leather bound book to the table that did indeed detail their activities last night.

Emily was not amused by this revelation, but it was Vex that made her displeasure abundantly clear.  “Either those pages will be burnt, or you will be.  Choose wisely dear.”

Taryon’s face understandably started to lose its color as he pulled at the hem of his richly adorned robe nervously.  A robe Emily saw had a series of strange, multicolored patches sewn into its surface.  “Doty, since I value my life, I suggest we do as the little elf girl….I mean Vax, says.”

“Ahem.”  If it were possible, Taryon’s face paled further when Pike, Emily recalled from the picture, cleared her throat.  At least now she appeared to be physically present, having lost the strange golden glow that had radiated from her being.  That didn’t stop the Outsider’s mark from flaring briefly at her mere presence as Pike quietly clanked and clattered with every step, her heavy platemail making it easy to hear her coming a mile away.  “Someone hasn't been practicing.  What’s her name?”  Pike sweetly asked as she thrust a gauntleted hand towards a groaning Vex.

“I actually have been practicing, I just….momentarily slipped up, _Pike_.” Taryon countered before giving a satisfactory answer, “that is Vex... Ahlia the beautiful and confident woman at her side is Keyleth.  And then there’s Percival of course.”

“Very good.”  Pike beamed sweetly, but Emily wasn’t fooled by that smile.  She was starting to like the little woman, _gnome_ Emily corrected herself, just from the short time she’d talked to her yesterday.

“Yes.  Excellent. What's my name?  In full.”  Emily added just to twist the knife a little deeper.  The evil if subtle smirk she saw cross Pike’s lips instantly endeared the gnome to the Empress.

Taryon meanwhile fumbled for the correct answer, digging himself a bigger hole with every passing second.  “Um, ah, Emma, Elise, Eclipse, ... That's it!  Eclipse Win’dalk!

“Really?  That’s the best you could come up with?”  Vex dryly muttered.

“It’s Emily.  ...Emily Drexel Lela Kaldwin, Empress of the Empire of the Isles.  The First Of Her Name.”

“Well,” Percy began once they had recovered from the full title, and the no nonsense way she’d delivered it, “if we needed any proof you were who you said you were, I think we just got it.  That was delivered with too much authority and noble aristocracy to be anything but real.”

“Doty,” Taryon blanched at the shake of Pike’s head, “oh dear.  Could you possibly repeat that please?”  He squeaked as he desperately looked for a quill and paper that wasn’t a part of his book.

Ignoring their village idiot, Vex beamed towards Emily, grinning widely at her although why Emily wasn’t entirely sure.  "Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've come across anyone that has nearly as long a name as our very own De Rolo?"

Nodding her thanks to a servant that left a glass of water in front of her, along with a helping of bacon and eggs, Emily rolled her eyes at the elven archer but smiled despite herself.  "No, but I'm happy I was able to fill the gap Vex'ahlia."

"Vex, please,” the ranger corrected her, although Percy’s face scrunched up with curiosity at the slight, just audible quiver in her voice, “I see you found Taryon's gift, and you're already remembering our names? You're just full of surprises aren't you?"

Emily only shrugged as she took a moment to pause in devouring the bacon and eggs she’d been given to respond.  "I _am_ an Empress, remembering who smiles and who bares their teeth, along with their names, is an easy skill to acquire."

"So which one am I?"  Vex asked, genuinely curious, glancing towards Emily as she set her own ice pack down.  The ice cubes had largely melted by then anyway.

"The first.  For now."  Emily replied, a glimmer of mischievous if guarded delight flashing in her brown eyes.

“She’s certainly got you pegged dearest.”  A grinning Percy retorted, and while Vex playfully smacked his arm, the smirk on his face didn’t falter.

“I do have to ask,” Emily began hesitantly and pushed her food away slightly so she could better address the group, “but why?”

“Why what?”  Keyleth perked up, breaking her silence long enough to stop eating the fruit and eggs that had been brought to her as well.  Emily was willing to bet the woman didn’t partake of meat often, if at all.

Folding her hands underneath her chin without touching it, Emily asked the question that had been bugging her for some time now.  “Why do you believe I am who I say I am?”

“I got this one.“  Percy stated before Vex could butt in or Keyleth could stumble ahead in that cute, lovingly way she had about her.  “I’ll start with the most obvious and work my way down the list I’ve already composed.  Your equipment for one.”

“Go ahead, what about my equipment?”  Emily replied softly, curious to see what Percy had deduced since they’d met.

All too happy to rise to the challenge, Percy pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose as he brought up his mug of coffee up to his mouth.  “Take a look at the group, because barring Taryon and myself, most of us don’t come from money as you and I do, and it shows, in more than our outer appearances.  As such, your equipment is of a quality far above even my means, although I’ll freely admit our fortunes have drastically improved in recent weeks.”

“He has a point.”  Pike chimed in, having helped herself to what was being passed around before settling across from Emily.  “Percy’s an accomplished tinkerer, he’s even made his own strangely ingenious weapons and I can attest to their effectiveness.  That said, sorry Percy, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such delicate looking pieces of...whatever you'd call them, but they’re very elegantly designed.”

“Clockwork, most of them.”  Emily kindly elaborated for Pike as the rest of the group she’d seen yesterday filed into the main hall.  “Anton Sokolov, a natural philosopher unlike any that’s been seen since, likely had a hand in nearly everything I carry on my person.  His discoveries and inventions are what made Dunwall the city that it is.”

“To be fair,” Percy gently interjected, “weapons such as your, I dare to assume it’s a pistol, and my rifle, are very rare in this world.  But while crossbows are much more common, I don’t think they’ve gotten quite so small or intricate as the one I examined on the way here.  I didn’t take it, or your pistol, apart,” he quickly reassured her when Emily’s hand went to her weapon belt, “but the clockwork mechanisms that I saw built into the weapon are extraordinarily ingenious.  I assume the vials attached to most of your bolts are various poisons?”

“Yes.”  What else needed to be said?  The ease with which Percival quickly understood what to him must seem like highly advanced concepts, was beginning to mildly unnerve her.  “I do carry sleep draughts, and I tend to prefer them, but I do have….other means to subdue my opponents.”  The Howler bolts she had among her various bolts were especially nasty in that regard.

“Did you make them yourself or…?”  Percy had a feeling he knew the answer already.

Emily knew what he was truly asking, but in this she was happy to indulge his curiosity.  “I know how to read a blueprint, and following an alchemical recipe isn’t difficult, but did I _invent_ any of my gear?  The answer is no.  However, I did upgrade and hand built most of the things you’ve seen on my person, and while the pistol was made by one of the best gunsmiths royalty can afford, I know every piece and how it goes together.”  There was a logical reason for this, but she was sure she didn’t have to explain that to these people.

“Ah, yes of course.  I find cleaning the powder scoring off the inside of the barrel to be the most tedious bit of proper firearm maintenance myself.”  The knowing look that passed between her and Percy had Vex rolling her eyes.

Vax merely smirked and leaned back in his seat.  “Tinker nerds.  Should we get you matching shirts and leg warmers?”

“I think not.”  Emily deadpanned, but the subtle quirk to her lips was hard to miss.

Percy shrugged but he too smiled a little at the good natured ribbing.  “But that does lead me to my next point, you’re an educated woman.”  Percy replied without missing a beat, the little smile on his face widening slowly with every word.  “Again, while it might not mean you’re royalty, you’re, at the very least, a woman of means, which is nothing to sneeze at.  But then there’s your somewhat familiar personality, which, if we’re being blunt, is the most telling thing about you.” Taking a sip, Percy made an approving noise before continuing, “You’re used to being in control.  Not necessarily domineering, or even arrogant mind you, but you’re used to having your words heeded and adhered to without question.  You mean well, you might be a bit impulsive, a trait you demonstrated just the other day, but at the time you had good reason.  You don’t however strike me as the sort to do anything without cause.  And the fact you didn't simply shoot me puts credence to the claim you don’t kill needlessly.  You understand the value of mercy.  But with the way you’re looking at us now, your face has hardly changed in its visage save for guarded flickerings of annoyance or humor with various members of our group.  So it's safe to say you are also quite adept at hiding your true feelings.  A painfully necessary skill for royalty and nobility alike.”

“All true.”  Emily replied as she subconsciously folded her hands in her lap before just as quickly realizing what she was doing.  A habit that would be impossibly hard to break, with the countless people who had kissed her ring finger, shook her hand, if not outright examined them for one reason or another.

“And then of course there’s the state of your clothes from yesterday and now, dear.”  Vex purred.  “You and Percy could go into business together.  I didn’t know blue coats and fancy doublets with armored leathered corsets were all the rage.  I might have to update my own wardrobe.”

“Please don’t.”  Percy replied.  “I can't imagine you in anything more fetching dear.  You positively glow with the perfect mix of deadly and beautiful.”

Emily had to agree with his assessment.  The comfortable looking leather and the long, well worn traveling cloak that was currently draped over the back of her chair really did make Vex seem quite alluring.  It helped her bronzed, smooth skin and her long, slender arms and legs, equally contained in well made leather boots and pants, made her stand out beautifully.  The healthy blush that bloomed across the ranger’s cheeks only further cemented Emily’s silent approval.  “You say the sweetest things darling.”  She stammered out once Vex had gotten her blushing under wraps.

“I know.”  The smug gleam in Percy’s blue eyes said he was well aware of the effect his words had on Vex’ahlia.

“But we both know this is only your second most favorite outfit of mine....”  The husky purr that poured from Vex’s throat left Emily coughing uncomfortably into her half empty glass.  A quick glance at the rest of the table said that, except for Taryon, everyone else was unaffected by Vex’s open near scandalous flirtations, not counting Percy of course who it was aimed at.

“Indeed.”  Percy couldn't have looked more smitten if he tried until he reluctantly set his glass down.  The reason for his hesitation became clear when Emily saw the top of a very well known book, her book, the logbook she’d kept since climbing aboard the Dreadful Whale.  “I see you know it.”  Percy noted softly as he set it down on the table in front of him.

“I shouldn’t be surprised.“  Emily growled, feeling strangely violated even if she had no proof her personal thoughts had been examined.  Except she’d be a fool to believe the pages hadn’t been looked over with a fine tooth comb.  It at least told her why Percy and the rest of them believed her story, what parts he had likely shared with them anyway.

“It was an unfortunate necessity to take certain precautions.  I'm sure you can understand.”

Try as she might, she couldn’t force herself to remain _too_ angered over the man’s well meaning caution in his decision to invade her privacy.  She would have to honestly say that she would have done exactly the same thing in his place.  Well, not _exactly._  That didn’t stop her from narrowing her topaz colored eyes though as she crossed her arms under her chest.  “I hope it was a good story.”

“It read like a nightmarish fantasy novel honestly, but the near fastidious notes you kept on everything said otherwise.”  Handing the logbook over to Vex, who handed it to Keyleth, who handed it to Emily’s waiting hand.  Percy shrugged apologetically as she made it disappear to her lap for now.  “But it proved what we had begun to suspect about you from the start of our little meeting.”

“I figured.”  Emily admitted, and slowly nodded her head now that she had the final piece of the puzzle.

“Really?  What gave me away?”  Percy asked, one silver haired eyebrow raising upward in open curiosity.

“Nothing, but I know what I came here with.  I didn’t ask for my journal back, assuming you or someone had found it.  Whether or not you’d read it was another matter, but now that I’m faced with the reality, I realize I shouldn’t have even bothered to mull it over.” 

“If it lessens the blow to your more than justifiable indignation, know that I alone invaded your privacy.”

“And copied the entire story down.”  Pike was quick to admit, her blue eyes downcast in shame when Emily glared at her next.

While her glare softened somewhat at that, Emily’s smile was not warm as she glared at the tinkerer again over the rim of her mug.  “Your stunningly moral companion’s  impulsive confession aside, if you’re going to lie, at least try do it convincingly.”

“Funny, I thought I was?”

Now that she had been given a few minutes to let her outrage settle, Emily was able to see it from Percy’s point of view.  “You don’t know me, so of course you’d read through it.  You care too much for those around you not to pry into my life.”

“Touche.”  Percy admitted with a sage nod of his head.  Finishing his glass, he set it down and pushed away from the table, his hands once more folded behind his back as he slowly walked closer to her seat.  “Very well, no more lies or half truths.  You'll find blunt honesty to be in abundance among _most_ of my friends and family.  So please don't think of my slightly more ruthless actions constitute normal behavior.  If it helps, our decision to trust you was partly in thanks to the fact you kept quite detailed, nearly fastidious notes of your accomplishments and your reasoning for everything you did.  I’d be overjoyed to meet this Anton Sokolov you wrote about, sounds like a cross between myself and Scanlan.”

“Did you categorize and inventory my life experiences as well my equipment?”  The sarcasm was biting, almost caustic, but it was largely shrugged off by most of the group.

Percy kindly smiled and shrugged despite the tone in her voice.  He’d likely seen worse than her, but it made her feel better.  “Indeed.  I was as thorough as a man responsible for many, many lives could hope to be.  I'm sure you can understand that, your highness.”

“Emily.”  Emily corrected him automatically.

“Beg your pardon?”

“If you truly know every shameful nook and cranny of my existence now, the least you can do is call me by given name.  Besides, as I’m currently not sitting on a throne that I fought and bled for, there’s little point in pretending to be what I’m not anymore.”  While she had started out strong, Emily couldn’t keep the cracks from filling her voice as she let her head fall somewhat.  She only perked up a little when Keyleth’s hand gently touched her shoulder.

“Hey, it’s okay Emily.”  The awkward attempt at cheering her up was at least honest.  It was that more than anything that had a weak, tired smile pulling at the Empress’s lips.

Grog was up next, rumbling his agreement to Keyleth’s statement.  The fact he practically towered over Pike yet leaned protectively over her was not lost on Emily as she blinked back the tears that threatened to run down her face.  “Yeah, we’re all fucked up for one shitty reason or another, it's practically the init....inter...”

“Initiation?”  Pike kindly offered up for the giant gray skinned giant, goliath, Emily silently corrected herself.

“Yeah, right. The initiation fee.  You're lucky.  Usually joinin’ up with us comes with a free beatin’!  Ha!  Just ask the lil shit bag in the shiny armor.”

“Largely untested.”  Pike was quick to elaborate for Emily.  “It’s a….long story about how we picked him up.”

“I’d be interested in hearing about it all truth be told.  That,” Emily began as she finished the contents of her glass before setting it down next to her empty plate of food.  She couldn’t remember eating the rest, but it still left her stomach feeling content, “and it’s only fair since you know so much about me now.”

“Well, to be fair, we only know what was in the book.  And you actually handled that punch to the side of your head better than I anticipated.”  Percy was quick to point out.

“And we actually like you a fair bit more.”  Vax chimed in next as he seemed to appear out of thin air next to her seat, a glass of something in his hand that he set before her.  “So, since we actually like you, how ‘bout a friendly drink?  Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned.”

Looking up at the rogue that had gotten so close to her without being heard, Emily couldn’t help but stare at the glass with dubious intensity before flicking her brown eyes up at the man hovering over her.   “I have the strangest feeling that you sir are lying through your teeth.  But, since we might as well get the inevitable hazing over with....”  Emily grabbed the glass and downed it in a few quick, horribly burning gulps.

“Holy shit!” Vax breathed out, beyond shocked at her although Emily didn’t understand why just yet.  When it was apparent she wasn’t about to keel over, he relaxed and slapped a hand on her shoulder.  “Well, you're half right, but you were definitely supposed to _sip_ that.  Pikey, get over here in case she goes blind or something.”

It didn’t take her long to realize why she was supposed have sipped rather than pour the offered drink down her throat.  “That’s odd, it actuuaally fees staanglly pweasnt....”  A stone cold somber Emily would have been outraged right now, but the numbed mush that was currently her mouth could barely spew out nearly unintelligible curses.  “Ish fushing haate yoush elll righhll ooow.”  Tongue numb and feeling like lead, Emily poured the rest of the glass’s contents on the floor before slamming the glass upside down on the table.

“Welcome to our merry band.”  Percy cheerfully informed her and raised a container appropriately marked Sand Keg.  “In case you’re curious, it’s not poisonous, if treated properly, which this stuff has been, but it is made from the venom glands of a giant scorpion native to the more arid regions of our world.

What she wanted to say was “Oh I see, so the numbness is temporary?”  What came out however, sounded something more like this.  “Oh ish sqcreeeee.  Sssssoooo thre noombnessss-”

Grog was giggling loudly into one cupped hand with every word Emily tried to get out, so Percy decided to take pity on her.  “Yes the numbness is temporary, I assure you.”

“Hmm.  Has anyone ever told you you're quite beautiful when you're drunk darling? And it'll be a little less temporary in your case I'm afraid. I think you just set a new record.”

“Not quite sister.  You’re forgetting that Allura handled herself pretty well, right up until she passed out.”  Vax stated as he made his way to Keyleth’s side and squeezed in once Vex had vacated her seat.  With the way Emily was looking, Vax was half tempted to take Keyleth and get her out of range of what might be boiling in the pit of the Empress’s stomach.

Emily sighed and crossed her arms over her stomach, her fingers locked over the logbook in her lap.  Despite feeling ready to throw up at the slightest provocation, she was still in control of most of her faculties.  “Thisss ishn’t thre frrishst thime I’ve been dunk... drunk, you know.  I’ve spent my time around plenty of balls and parties, some of which I wasn’t invited to, where alcohol flowed freely.  I might rarely partake to such excess, but the few times I did has told me and those I drank with that I have a strong constitution.  Likely something I inherited from my mother.”  The smug smile that appeared was undercut by a note of sorrow at mentioning her mother, but Emily was able to hide it well enough as her speech became far less slurred once more.

“Now _that's_ fucking impressive.”  Vax gaped, utterly floored with how quickly she’d recovered.

“It ain’t _that_ great....”  Grog muttered in turn.

“Don't feel bad big guy.  A woman a tenth your size shrugging off a drink in less than half the time is nothing to be ashamed about.”  Vax happily informed Grog, somehow making the entire affair moot by how insulting his attempt at flattery actually sounded.

And yet Grog took it as a compliment as he grinned and sneered triumphantly at Emily.  She simply turned to Keyleth and whispered to her and Vax, ”He does realize Vax insulted him without even trying right?”

“Nope.”  Keyleth muttered.

“Long standing rivalry,” Vax explained out of the corner of his mouth, “you’ll get used to it Brandy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit, I forgot the note and the pouch among all the excitement lol. SO instead of merely writing it out or pushing it aside, I've saved it for another chapter, one that'll be after Chapter 3, promise. ;D There's no way I'm passing up a chance for Emily to put Taryon in his place hehe. Anyway, keep enjoying the effort I've put into this and I hope you continue to enjoy the craziness that is Vox Machina. Peace!


	3. Outside Interference

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one starts out well enough, but it takes a decidedly dark turn when someone starts running their mouth. Enjoy!

**Chapter 3**

**Outside Interference**

The rest of the day was spent acclimating herself to what she learned was Whitestone Castle, as well as its residents, many of which were not nearly as….diverse or downright strange compared to the band of mercenaries she had somehow fallen in with.  In all that excitement, she’d forgotten to hand over the note she’d written to Percy, but she made yet another note in her logbook, along with a rather scathing entry about the sneaky, conniving bastard in question, to hand it over first thing tomorrow.  She also made a note to throw the coin pouch at Taryon per that same sneaky, conniving bastard’s recommendation, but that was a minor concern of hers with everything else she’d learned in the last sixteen hours.

Meeting Percy’s sister and the remnants of the rebellion that had taken his home back, had been far more revealing regarding the people she found herself amongst.  The temple to Pelor, the Sun Tree, the parts of Whitestone and its surrounding town she walked through, she couldn’t help but smile at most of it since there was an unmistakable air of life and warmth and hope that she hadn’t felt for far too long.  Even if she didn’t know the story regarding the darkness that had overtaken Whitestone for five years, she’d heard enough hints to it that she understood that something terrible had happened here, and that the people in town were taking a much deserved breath of relief.

She understood that feeling as well.

It also helped to explain why Vox Machina, the self proclaimed battered and broken saviors of this truly strange world, actually seemed at ease here in this small, quiet bastion of sanity.  Though she doubted if even half of their boastful tales were true.  Did they  _ really  _ expect her to believe they had killed  _ five  _ dragons?  She’d believe that when she saw the bones at her feet, and even then Emily doubted she’d give them the time of day.  That said, she put far more stock in the reactions she saw them garner from those they passed on the street.  Too many had offered a smile, a shout of gratitude, if not outright open, teary eyed praise for the members of Vox Machina.  At least to the people of this peaceful town, they had indeed saved their lives, if not their world.  So with all that in mind, Emily had to reluctantly admit and acknowledge that there might have been some truth to their more outlandish stories they’d regaled her with.  But she still flatly refused to believe one particularly drunken tale from Keyleth concerning flying cows, of all things.

Whatever the case might have been, she was more than happy to turn in much later that day, exhausted in so many ways.  It didn’t help that there were plans to leave for some kind of coronation tomorrow, but by the time it was mentioned to her, Emily had had trouble keeping her eyes open.  For all she knew and honestly cared by that point, they could have been attending an orgy being held by Luca Abele, the recently replaced Duke of Serkonos, and she wouldn’t have batted an eyelash.

“A whole new world.”  The thought wouldn’t quiet down even as Emily prepared for bed that night.  If she had needed anymore irrefutable proof of her current situation, meeting a very large, intelligent, talking wolf while taking in the grounds outside the castle with Cassandra and her atrociously smitten personal guard had certainly cleared up any lingering doubts to that effect.  And that was just one of the more outlandish things she’d come across in her short time here.

Staring at the ceiling, her hands folded over her chest, Emily sighed and tried to calm her whirling mind.  Speaking aloud often helped, although she would have given anything to have Wyman or Alexi here with her, more the latter than the former if for no other reason she’d have welcomed the extra blade at her back.  That and Emily would have preferred her for far less….pragmatic or practical reasons.  Sighing since wishing for such a thing was a waste of time, she turned onto her right side with a huff.  “Exandria... my ten year old self would be cheering her joy to the rooftops, whereas I would rather be sipping spiced wine atop Dunwall Tower, content with the knowledge all's right with the world.”

Closing her eyes for what felt like only a moment, Emily opened them again when she felt that all too familiar cold that cut right through the heavy blankets as if they weren’t even there.

Sitting up in bed, nothing seemed immediately wrong, but she knew what was happening as she went to the door.  She hardly flinched when instead of the long, stone hallway she had expected to find, she found a shattered, broken platform of untethered ground, floating amidst the gray, cold, endless Void.  “Great. I should have known it was too much to hope for that I'd never see your face again.”  She softly grumbled, knowing  _ he  _ had heard her, and sighed as she glanced up at the sky, or at least, the place where it should have been.  There was nothing however, no stars, no clouds, just more of the same gray.  The only things that stood out were the stone dead, lifeless ground, the bone chilling wind that occasionally blew through, and the dull gray light that acted as a parody of the sun.  But there was no warmth here, no life, but then again nothing truly lived in the Void, nothing  _ could  _ live here.  Except of course the Outsider.

She didn’t jump as a swirl of ash and dust took shape in rapid order, taking the form of a young man in a dark gray trench coat that went down well past his knees.  The oily black, short cut of his hair sat atop his head, neatly combed to one side, emphasizing his boyish good looks.  The only problem with that image was that his eyes were black and dead, full of the strange power that made the Void what it was.  Where the Outsider began and the Void ended was impossible to say, only that the smug smirk on his face was entirely too human.  “Having fun yet, Emily?  I know I am.... Who knew such a multitude of worlds existed?  Well, I do now, thanks to Delilah's unquenchable bloodlust.  I shouldn’t be surprised really, I always suspected we weren’t alone out there.”  And just as quickly, the Outsider disappeared, but he wasn’t gone, he never left, not when the future was so exciting.

He had simply moved so that he could walk out from behind her as if he’d always been there.  “You know how much I enjoy a good surprise.  Like your present situation for instance.  You win back your kingdom only to be torn from the world you knew by a witch that had become a part of my realm.  To make it more interesting, it seems I’m not the only one that’s curious about where events will lead.  Let's just say my presence has not gone unnoticed by the gatekeepers of this realm.”

That got her attention as Emily broke her self imposed silence.  “What do you mean?”

The Outsider’s lips pulled up into a smug, self satisfied smirk as he folded his hands behind his back and started walking away from her.  “That’s the funny thing isn’t it?  I’m sure you can figure it out since you already met one of their guardians.  She did good work, curing Delilah's last ditch effort to kill you, because simply disposing of you wasn’t enough for her.  For all of her radiance though, the little gnome has more going on behind her innocent blue eyes than anyone can imagine.  You might ask her about what it was like to be torn in half by that glabrezu, and what happened afterwards.”  He lowered his voice to a stage whisper, leaning in close, “You won't like the answer.”

Once more the Outsider disappeared, leading Emily deeper into the shifting jagged stonework that was his domain.  But while she kept her mouth shut, Emily felt a growing anger and a strangely protective instinct towards the one truly decent person she had discovered in the short span of time since this insanity has begun.  And hearing the Outsider so readily insult Pike in her presence did no favors for her already low opinion of the god like being, but she knew he had hardly gotten started.

“Then there’s the man playing at adventurer, hiding so much of his true face behind his mask of nobility, and the delightfully horrific knowledge he’s brought the world of Exandria into the age of gunpowder.”  Maybe not so much in Percival’s case, she darkly mused.  “The way of the sword might not be dead yet, but he’s fully aware that the bad days are only just beginning, and try as he might to deny it, the genie’s out of the bottle and he knows it.  There’s no turning back from what he and Ripley have brought into the world.”  Emily flinched away from his touch as he appeared behind her yet again, his hand brushing the back of her neck as he stalked around her like a shark.  “You could ask him yourself, but I doubt he’ll feel like talking.  He only talks to Vex’ahlia, more like confides in her the knowledge of his sins really, and normally it’s only after he’s torn himself apart from the inside first.”   


As much as de Rolo had gone out of his way to antagonize her, Emily couldn't help but feel a spark of empathy for the man.  Anton Sokolov had expressed a great deal of regret for some of the things he too had brought into the world, so in this, she understood Percy better than he’d ever realize.  She had no intention of mentioning this conversation to any of Vox Machina however.

“But since we’re on the subject of his affections, Vex is an interesting moral contrast in leather.”  Appearing on the top of a jagged spike some distance away, the Outsider looked like an oversized crow, his trenchcoat situated in such a way that it looked like furled wings.  “Vex’ahlia and her twin brother Vax’ildan, born into Sygornian nobility, yet hated by their father simply because he couldn’t keep it in his pants.  The brother is quite the macabre champion, always seeking redemption and rarely finding any.  For all of his streetwise cunning that would have put even Daud to shame, the raven adorned half breed mortal is pretty slow on the uptake.  While the sister... oh, the stories I could tell you.  She is the most delightfully chaotic creature, and would have been right at home in Dunwall’s back alleys with the likes of Billie Lurk.  One moment stealing a prized treasure, the next wasting a small fortune to save two pathetic souls.  Be sure to ask how she found her precious Trinket, it’s a story even poor, hapless Vax isn’t fully aware of.”  He seemed to darkly ponder for a moment before a cruel smile tore at his lips.  “Wait!  I can do you one better.  Ask them about their dear mother.  That should get you some interesting results.”  She wouldn’t, not lightly, especially since Emily knew why the Outsider was telling her all this.  He lived on the chaos, regardless of the consequences.

As before, the ‘boy with the black eyes’, just one of many names Emily had discovered throughout her travels, appeared on what she could only describe as a twisted, black and gray tree branch that was twisted upon itself, disappearing into the gray distance beyond her sight.  The Outsider swung his legs lazily over the edge, his hands folded behind his head, as a wisp of smoke lazily curled around his fingers.  She didn’t miss how the smoke took the shape of gnarled, twisted antlers, complete with circlet and the leaves and flowers woven through the band.  “Keyleth of the Air Ashari is the exact opposite in many respects.  She’s an innocent, loving spirit of a woman, but burdened with the knowledge she’s going to outlive everyone around her.  Funny thing to concern herself with when you think about it, since the people she surrounds herself with are cutthroats, murderers, and thieves to a one.  And yet the best part is she’s just as bad in her own way!  Just ask the young boy she ‘freed'.... Oh, wait, you can't.”  His dark eyes twinkled as he mockingly grasped at his throat and mimicked choking on something before disappearing in a puff of ash once more.

Keyleth was the second person she’d developed a near instant liking for, which made it incredibly hard for Emily to keep her own counsel a moment longer.  “Why are you even wasting-”

“Please your Highness, you’ve known my game since you accepted my gifts.”  The Outsider chuckled darkly as he appeared right in front of her, his hands folded behind his back once more.  “Indulge me.  After all, think of the chaos you could sow among them, the power you could wield, having this collection of walking discarded, broken things firmly under your thumb. Empress.”  He added the last with a small sarcastic bow.

Not that she had much of a choice in the matter, but try as she might to deny it, her curiosity demanded she at least listen to what he had to say.  But he knew her just as well as she knew him, and for all of his sarcasm and dark humor and desire to see the world torn down, he was fully aware she wouldn’t give into the darker impulses that ruled so many.  It didn’t matter to him one way or the other, especially since time was on his side, and if he grew bored with her, Emily was fully aware he’d find someone else to tempt with the same ‘gifts’, and the terrible truths he shared with those same people that he marked.

That didn’t stop him from sneering at her despite the dark glare she was leveling at him.  “No more interruptions?  Good.”  Appearing some feet away on an upper platform of stone, the Outsider continued, looking down at her from on high, literally and otherwise.  “The golden boy with the soulless friend is a deluded fool of the highest order.  He actually believes he can win the love of his father and sister by gallivanting around this world.  So much useless daring do.  But the bodies in his wake!  Oh Empress, ask him of men and women screaming for death as he pissed himself.  From a safe distance of course.  But for all his bluster and false bravado, he does have one redeeming quality.  Stupid. Dumb. Luck.  He’d have likely died by now if he hadn’t stumbled upon the same murderous vagabonds you did.”

Emily shuddered as a cold breeze blew past then, pulling her short brown locks into her eyes just long enough to allow the Outsider to appear right in front of her again, his black, empty eyes a hair’s breath away.  He leaned back, but it was...unnerving.  “Last, but certainly not least, the dumb, brutish half giant.  There’s a juggernaut of rage and barbaric simplicity if I’ve ever seen one!  Yet for all of that, he’s surprisingly kind to those same broken vagabonds he’s surrounded himself with.  Just don’t mention how his uncle used him as a means to vent his fury.  You might not be able to escape the barbarian’s rage if you make light of the pain his dear uncle Kevdak caused him.  Even if he did eventually succeed in killing the bastard, it wasn’t without a price.”

“Are you finished?”  She’d heard enough of the Outsider’s snide commentary to last a lifetime already.

“Impatient.  Just like your father before you, I shouldn’t be surprised.  I  _ was _ going to tell you the fate of those you left behind, but instead let me tell you of another’s fate.  Like the firebrand sorcerer who met an icy death, amidst a cold, barren waste.”  The dust and ash swirled behind the Outsider, taking the shape of a statue and the unmistakable shape of a grave marker set at its feet.  The statue was beautifully rendered in white marble, although the humanoid was unlike anything she’d seen before.  The richly adorned man with a staff held in one wizened, clawed hand had scales in place of skin, and his face was an elongated snout, just like a lizard, or a dragon’s.  And just as quickly, the statue disappeared, leaving the Outsider to push forward.

“Or the wise, benevolent ruler, who welcomed dark entities into his home, unaware of what they were.  He was later slaughtered you know, by the same dragons you’ve only heard hinted about so far.  Oh, yes, they were quite real I assure you.  As the mighty Uriel discovered in death, along with hundreds more of his loyal subjects, oh what frightful agony and despair they wrought, but Vox Machina saved the day!  ....If you can call a worthless pyrrhic victory ‘saving the day’.”

Just as quickly, the Outsider’s sardonic grin thinned into a grim line, and he appeared further down the jagged, stone slab, walking backwards now as Emily followed.  “Or the lost bard, a father, desperate to save the last scraps of the life he might have had, tormented by the thought his daughter thinks him a coward and an oathbreaker.  Do you know what these people all have in common?  Come now Emily, you're a smart girl, no need to be humble....”

She knew, but confirming his words left her with a sick, twisted feeling in the pit of her stomach.  “They’ve had run ins with Vox Machina.”

“Correct!  Yet for all their faults, they still saved the world several times over.  Although it’s also important for one to note that they were also directly  _ responsible  _ for leading it to the edge of ruin in the first place.  Usually by their efforts to stave off the previous disasters they started.  Kraghammer and the Underdark’s dark denizens at the dwarven city’s doorstep are the perfect example, although your new friends don’t know it yet.  And yet they’ve done it again!  Right before you appeared among them I might add.  A desperate bargain struck, a horrible price to be paid!  In exchange for one single life, they’ll be called upon to vanquish a god like being at the behest of another god like being, one who has had an eternal feud with this undying entity.  At least when I bestow my mark, I don’t subvert or corrupt those who bear them.”

“No, you simply burden them with things they’d rather not know that inevitably drives them insane.”  Emily retorted before she could stop herself, but the Outsider merely scoffed and smirked.

“Truth is a terrible burden for most, but a glorious boon for those brave enough to take full advantage of my gifts.  But while your approach normally bores me, I do applaud your restraint Emily Kaldwin.  You’ve still given me a lot to think about, and more to savor for years to come.  And I’d be lying if I said I’m not immensely curious to see what you’ll do now.  Knowing that you aren’t restrained by the burdens of a crown, and an Empire of desperate people, just trying to get their lives together after Delilah’s very short rule.”

“Leave me be!  Haven't you-”  Before either of them could react further, the Void shifted, changed in some fundamental way as a pulse of energy swept through the entire gray dimension. While he made a solid effort to appear unflinching as raven feathers began to fall around them, Emily’s rage gave way to grim satisfaction as she saw legitimate fear flash across his face.  This wasn’t his doing, that much she was certain of, and while she should have probably been very afraid as well, she was honestly glad that the Outsider was off his proverbial pedestal for a change.

“For all of your truths, you are still a mortal boy, playing at godhood.  Come. Seek the peaceful rest I offer you.”

“No thank you, I’ve died once already, just as you have, your Highness.”  The Outsider sneered to the empty air, his dead black eyes on the growing pile of raven feathers that had begun to take on a life and form of their own.  “So don’t speak about playing at godhood when you’ve done the same thing.”

“Very well Henrick.”  The way the Outsider’s face blackened with rage was not expected, but Emily took a great deal of satisfaction in seeing him further angered than she’d ever seen before now.  All the while, the soft, gentle if otherworldly, woman’s voice continued to echo through the Void undeterred.  “I shall always embrace you as the frightened boy you once were.  But one day, soon, my champion shall destroy the unnatural abomination you have become.”

“You know the Void can’t be denied, there will always be someone like me here to be its voice!”

It was then that the feathers twisted upon themselves as they piled high, flashed with dark, purple light, and out stepped a woman.  A woman in a long, flowing, inky black dress, her face a white, porcelain mask that seemed to be a natural part of her rather than something one would wear on one’s face.  Her hair, what little she could see of it, was just as black and voluminous as the feathers she wore as part of her dress.  Emily would almost say she looked similar to Delilah, except this woman was nothing like her.  Emily didn’t get the same, uneasy feeling for one, even though the mask that wasn’t a mask moved like living flesh.  It also helped that Delilah’s hair didn’t dance and wave on unseen winds behind the masked woman’s head.  “Death comes to all.  One way, or another.  Fear not your natural end, Henrick.  You’ve tormented mankind for far too long, as you’ve tormented this child who has done much good with a power never meant for her, or her father.”

“What I do in my world is no business of yours!”  He roared, seething with pure hatred and disgust.

The blade thin smile that pulled at the raven feathered woman’s porcelain face sent chills down Emily’s spine, but the Outsider looked the far more unsettled.  “But you are not in your world boy.  You willingly trespass into  _ my  _ domain, and I am far from the only one to notice.  I am merely the first, but I will not be the last, only the kindest.  Your fate might be entangled in countless others, Henrick, but your thread is coming to an end, waiting only for the right person to cut it.”  Emphasis came in the form of countless threads of porcelain silk appearing behind the woman about the same time a spectral hand slipped right through the Outsider’s dark gray trenchcoat.  He grimaced and gaped in horror as the hand grasped something within his body, before slowly pinching a dark gray thread between its porcelain fingers, and pulling it out so that it was revealed for all to see.  “It would be so easy to do the deed myself, Henrick.  But, unlike you, I chose not to interfere in the natural destinies of the mortals you so openly mock and degrade, only to watch as they scurry about before you like a child with a flaming torch torturing insects.  You revel in the pain they cause themselves as they wield fragments of your power.”

Emily was struck dumb at the sight of the Outsider futilely trying to grasp his thread away from the spectral hand.  And just as quickly, the hand disappeared, and what she could only assume was his soul sunk back into his chest, leaving him visibly shaken, but alive.  Unmarked, if one wanted to go that far.  Horror gave way to cruel, dark fury as the ground began to violently shake and crumble.  Before it could fall apart from under her feet, Emily found herself safe in the raven feathered woman’s net of threads, even as the Outsider’s face twisted and morphed into a demonic, grinning skull that had grown to gargantuan size.  “This means war between us, you death loving wench!”  He boomed, his voice visibly distorting the Void itself with waves of unbridled power and malice.  Every stone platform shattered, every twisted branch turned to ash, and even the dull gray light in the distance flared brightly for a moment before returning to its dull gray.

And yet, for all of his self evident outrage, the Outsider was the first to disappear from the field, leaving Emily alone with what she could only call a goddess.  The idea was ludicrous, but so was the idea of being in another dimension, and yet here she was, talking to such an entity as she seamlessly moved her fingers, manipulating the threads that safely kept her aloft so that they were facing each other.  “You will not remember most of this child, nor should you, but know that you are not alone.  For all of their faults, those among Vox Machina are not the monsters your Outsider paints them as.”

“Wait, please!  I have to warn them!  I have to warn Vax!  I have to-”

Emily fell silent as the grave when the otherworldly entity became gigantic herself.  Her face was still that serene, gentle smile it had started in, but now that pale white mask was the only thing she could see for miles in every direction.  “Their fate must remain as unaltered as possible, sweet girl, she who has used such dark power for such great good.  Such knowledge should not have been placed upon your shoulders, but I will leave you with this much, child.  Your father lives, as do so many of your people.  Take strength from that, and from those around you now, for you will need it for what is to come.”

Resigned to the idea she wouldn't remember most of what she’d witnessed, Emily sighed but nodded her head.  She wanted to know so much about all of this, but she knew she wouldn’t get the chance to ask.  “Can I at least know your name?”  She asked, hoping against hope she’d allow her that much.

She didn’t pull away from the porcelain hand that gingerly cupped her cheek, while the gigantic mask, didn’t change size exactly, but Emily’s perspective changed so that it didn’t seem nearly as intimidating.  “Mortals know me as the Raven Queen.  Go now, my champion awaits you child.” The barest hint of a grin appeared on her porcelain vistage as Emily began to protest.

And just like that, Emily awoke with a barely contained scream as she tried to bolt up only to find she couldn’t move.  Blindly attacking whatever had her pinned down, she didn’t at first hear the comforting, if startled, voice of Vax’ildan.  “Easy!  You’re fine, you’re safe!  Easy, it’s alright.  Deep breaths.  There you are.”  Following his advice, her vision cleared and she slowly began to make sense of the world.  Upon recognizing Vax’s face, framed by his dark, almost black locks that fell to either side of his sharply pointed ears, the only reason she could see any of it was because he didn’t have the hood pulled low for a change, she almost collapsed into his arms.  Almost, but she didn’t fight him either as he continued to whisper soothing words into her ear.  Only once she was able to push away from him somewhat did he appear apologetic for barging into her room, having picked the lock since she distinctly remembered locking her door.  “I’m sorry, but you were thrashing about when I found you.  Looked like you were having the mother of all bad dreams.”

“Mother?  I... It...Seven Strictures, it wouldn’t be the first time.”  She groaned, her heart in her throat and her mind a strange, empty blank regarding the contents of said dream.  That was….odd.  She normally remembered everything, the good times, and the bad.  Shaking her head instead, Emily put a hand to her temple and tried to grasp upon anything that would explain this latest turn.  A thread, something!  But when nothing came, she sighed and hesitantly let her eyes find Vax’s face as he let his hands fall from her.  “I apologize for... that.”

“Hey, it's alright.  If you think this is bad, you should deal with Grog having night terrors.   _ That  _ is not an enjoyable experience, let me tell you.  I think only Pike can get near him without being smeared across the floor when he’s up in arms.”

“I find it hard to believe he’d have nightmares.”  His simple mind aside, Grog was too big and burly in her mind to believe the goliath could ever be afraid of anything.  Then again, her father had admitted to having nightmares about her mother’s death, as well as his time spent in Coldridge Prison, and he was very formidable in his own right.

“You really don’t know us that well then.  Besides, it’s been my experience that everybody has them kiddo.”  Vax informed her with a casual shrug, even as his dark, brown gaze seemed to momentarily intensify.  And while it might have been a trick of the dim light of her chambers, Emily was sure his eyes were glowing softly in the dark.  “I don't mean to embarrass you, but was I in your dream?  And before you get the wrong idea... well you were screaming out my name, like you were terrified or something.”

“I’d answer you, except I don’t remember anything about it.”  That wasn’t entirely accurate.  She remembered….a face, a porcelain face, and feathers.  Raven feathers.  She only remembered that because of the feathers attached to Vax’s armor.  Sighing heavily, Emily hugged herself tightly, “The one time I  _ want  _ to remember my nightmares, and I can’t beyond a few disjointed images.”

“You might be surprised with what you’d discover with just that much.”  Vax offered, strangely hopeful.

Letting her hands fall to the bed, Emily thought about it.  She really did, but despite the gentle encouragement and the shoulder he offered her, metaphorically speaking, Emily didn’t feel comfortable in sharing what little she’d remembered of her dream, mostly because she couldn’t make heads or tails of it herself.  But partially because an insistent, nagging part of her mind told her he wasn't trustworthy, none of them were.  At least not yet.  So instead she looked away, and quietly, sadly said, “Vax... good night.  And thank you.”

She nearly called him back when his face, his scarred right cheek turned towards her, a cheek she felt the near irresistible urge to run her fingertips gingerly down, fell ever so slightly.  But he was already on his feet before she could think to stop him, and he quickly began to walk towards the slightly open door.  “Good night, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.  Alright?“

“I will.”  That much she could promise him if nothing else.  It would have to suffice for now regardless.  As the door gently shut behind him, she couldn't help the sudden feeling of loneliness and isolation that washed over her.  She did little to stop the tears that fell down her cheeks as she quietly cried herself to sleep.

As it turned out, Vax didn’t go nearly as far as Emily would have liked.  He was close enough to her door that he could hear her soft cries, muffled as they were by her pillow, yet far enough away that she would never know he was listening.  It also didn’t take him long to hear Percival coming down the hallway, no doubt curious as to why he was prowling about.  Putting a finger to his lips, Vax gestured to Emily’s door, to which the gunslinger responded by beckoning the rogue away from her room.

“Dare I ask?”  Percival inquired with a frown once he deemed them a suitable distance away from the Empress’s chamber.

“I heard her having trouble sleeping.  It sounded like she was having a pretty rough night, whatever it was.  Which makes me wonder why she couldn’t recall any of it.”  Vax mused once he caught Percy up on current events, feeling like he’s heard something similar before when dealing with certain divine entities.  He might have to ask Pike tomorrow, see what she thought of it all.

“That’s unusual for her?”  Asked Percy, one hand going to the bottom of his chin once more as he pondered his long time friend’s words.

“Yes, or so she says.”  Vax responded simply.

Percy could only shrug, uncertain what to make of it, and honestly he was quite tired after tinkering in his workshop until a few minutes ago.  “Well, it's probably just a side effect of all she's been through in the last couple of days.”

“Right.”  Vax didn’t believe that for a moment, and it showed on his face as he quietly sat down on a simple wooden chair within earshot of Emily’s room.

Keeping his back to the wall, the gunslinger sighed and let his head drop, knowing full well what Vax was planning.  “Vax, don't be silly.  What would Keyleth think?”

“That I'm doing what’s right.  For once.  Too many strange things have happened lately for me to just brush this off.  Besides, you didn’t see her when she woke up.  We might not know her well, but that kind of raw terror I saw in her eyes came from only one place I know of.”  The pointed stare he gave to the raven feathers on his armor got his point across quite well for Percy, who visibly shuddered at the possible implications.

“Gods, you really think she’s got a line to your deity?”  Percy breathed out, a mixture of horror and morbid curiosity crossing his face.

“Not by choice, and if she really did make a deal with that Outsider arsehole, it’d make sense the Raven Queen would find her  _ very  _ interesting.”  Vax gave the concerned de Rolo an annoyed wave of his hand. “You can go piss off now Percival, go make my sister happy.  As much as that horrifies and disgusts me to say.”

“Says the man that invaded my bathtub while I was….otherwise occupied.”  Percy shot right back, enjoying the faux gagging noises Vax made to his back as the human walked away.  “You’re a good man Vax, and I’m very glad you’re not dead.  Good night.”

While his reply was barely above a whisper, the earring in Percy’s ear still carried Vax’s voice to him just fine.  “You as well, brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol well, I will say one thing, out of all of the people that is introduced to the player from the Dishonored series, the Outsider is the most memorable. Trying to write him is a little more difficult, but it was still pretty enjoyable to give him his time in the spotlight, before knocking off of his throne in the same space of time. I LOVE his portrayal, but that smug, arrogant way he talks to everyone can old pretty quick, so I'll freely admit I took a great deal of satisfaction from this one.
> 
> A good friend of mine helped me beta read this through, which means these chapters come out halfway coherently lol. The next chapter has yet to be started, but it'll be here soon enough. Right now, I have some Mass Effect: Andromeda to play. Peace!


	4. Exandrian Welcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I was heading out of town to a Comic Con, (the Walker Stalker Con), I didn't put as much time into editing this the first time around as I should have. SO, I've updated this chapter with some much needed editing and included a helpful note to that effect. Enjoy!

**Chapter 4**

**Exandrian Welcome**

Spotting Vax’ildan sitting on a chair just outside her room, Emily felt an uneasy feeling of deja vu when her eyes fell on the raven feathers adorning his deceptively powerful armor.  She had no viable proof, but something told her the rogue’s gear was much stronger than it appeared.  But once again, she saw a flash of a porcelain masked face that wasn’t a mask, before she shook off the feeling almost as quickly.  Schooling her face to the stern public veneer she kept up, and pushing aside the melancholy she’d gone to bed with last night after her still largely forgotten nightmare, Emily put a hand on the half elf’s arm and gave him a firm shake.  “Vax’ildan.  Vax!”

He came around quickly, a hand automatically going to his dagger belt, but he just as quickly blinked and relaxed when he began to take in his surroundings.  “Whaa, Emily?  Oh, sorry, rough night, Kiki kicked me out again.”  Vax rapidly explained as he rubbed and blinked his brown eyes, a rapid shake of his head aiding in the effort to dispel the last of his mental cobwebs.

As touched as she was by his attempt to disguise what he’d really been doing all night, Emily could only roll her eyes as she crossed her arms under her chest.  The outfit she’d arrived in had been cleaned, repaired, and left on the writing desk, which she was wearing now.  Since it was one of only two outfits she currently had in her possession, she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.  But she had far more important things on her mind as she regarded the rogue in front of her.  “Do none of you realize what terrible liars you are?”

“Well, to be fair, we had a  _ really _ good one up until fairly recently.”  Vax countered, giving her a lopsided grin that she couldn’t help but notice was tinged with sorrow.  But just as quickly, Vax had gotten to his feet and started down the stone corridor, his grin morphing into a concerned frown.  With her at his side, it was impossible to miss.  “I won’t ask, but I feel I should remind you about what I said last night, Emily.  It doesn’t take an illithid, or a logbook that I swear only Percy’s really looked at, to know you’ve been through some shit, and while you’ve got no fucking reason to trust any of us, I want you to know that you can.”

The earnest, sincere way he said it rather than the words themselves, although they certainly helped, took Emily aback unexpectedly.  So much so that her neutral mask cracked, and she had to swallow the lump that formed in her throat.  “I-I,” ahem, ”gave my word, and I intend to keep it.  It’s….it’s just that a lot has occurred in the past day and a half, and I’ve only just met you.”  It was the truth in a nutshell, but while it was used as an excuse, it still made her feel better to know Vax was there if she needed him.

“Hey I get it Ems,” Vax shrugged and let the matter drop as they began to descend the stairwell, heading for breakfast once more, “I just wanted to remind you is all.”

“Thank you.”  She let her mask slip away, if only for a moment, but Vax’s grin widened at the sight of the soft smile that appeared on her face before it just as quickly disappeared.

“So, what was it like meeting her deathly unholiness face to face?”  If not for the hand on her arm, Emily would have most likely tripped down the rest of the stairs.  “Yeah, that’s about what I thought.”  He quipped, but he was no longer smiling now, having caught her in the lie, literally and otherwise as he slowly let his hand leave her arm once she had recovered her balance.

Emily took a shuddering breath as she remembered, not everything, but more than she had before at the rather pointed reminder.  “When I said I didn’t remember anything, that….was mostly true.”  She admitted at last.

“So a fucking lie, yes?  You're officially forgiven for being human.”

“Okay it was a lie,” she grumbled quietly in retort, “but other than the Outsider, I don’t have a lot of experience with this kind of thing.  Where I come from, other gods don’t exist, assuming that’s indeed what she was, or if they do, they’ve been buried and forgotten thanks to the Abbey of the Everyman, or the Outsider himself.  I honestly couldn’t say for sure which scares me more of the two possibilities.”

“Fair enough.  But if you want me to trust  _ you  _ with my life and the lives of those I care about, I'm gonna need a little more than that.”  It wasn’t an unreasonable request, Emily knew, but it still took a few seconds for her to find the words necessary to express what little she could recall.

“Yes, I saw her.  Yes, she is utterly terrifying.  But the rest... it's all a grey, shadowy jumble in my mind.”  Once more she was grateful for the steadying hand she felt on her arm before it slid to the middle of her back once the unnatural dizziness passed as they reached the same hall that Jarrett had shown her the other day.  “But….as strange it all was to me, she didn’t scare me like the Outsider.  She was even kind, I think.”

“See, that wasn't so bad.  If it makes you feel any better, she scares the living shit out of me too.  We can keep this between us for now, alright?  The others don't need to hear about it.”  Vax paused to bite his lip for a moment, before he gave Emily a half hearted smirk. “Unfortunately I  _ may  _ have clued in Percival about your unwanted visitation last night.”

“So now everyone knows.  Wonderful!”  Emily muttered as she shoved open the door to the dining hall with a bit more force than necessary.

“Not this time.”  Percy stated as she passed him by with Vax hot on her heels, leaning against the wall on the left side the door she had shoved out of her way.  “I don’t blab to everyone about  _ everything _ , I can assure you.  Only the parts I deem necessary.  This isn’t, not yet.”

“That’s reassuring.”  She muttered dryly, but she allowed a flicker of gratitude to spread across her face before she none too gently pulled a chair away from the table.

Vex’ahlia chose that moment to perk up as Percy sat on her right side. Pushing a plate of food into his waiting hands, the archer smiled sweetly, while her eyes kept shifting towards Emily despite having sat as far from the gunslinger as she could.  “Whatever are you chatting about with our temporary new guest darling?”

“Oh, this and that.  Nothing to trouble yourself over dear.”

“Indeed, I just….had trouble sleeping.”  Emily softly stated, “Percival and Vax’ildan apparently don’t understand the definition of privacy.”

Her half truth seemed to satisfy Vex as she scoffed good naturedly and glared at her twin, who cheekily grinned right back before he gave his sister a jaunty salute to Emily’s remark.  “Ah.  I'll have to remedy that.”  She promised, nudging Percy in the side with her elbow just as he was about to take a bite from his plate.

“Eating here.”  He grumbled, smirking despite himself even as he was left to pick bits of egg off of his shirt.

“Don’t care.”  Vex deadpanned right back.

“So, what is on the agenda for today?”  Emily carefully asked once she deemed it safe to do so.

“Keyleth’s coronation is tomorrow.”  Keyleth about choked on her drink no thanks to Vex’s ill timed comment.  A hearty slap to her back from Vax was enough to help her clear her airway.  “Sorry darling, but you were never going to admit it.”  Vex, to Emily’s eyes, didn’t look apologetic at all.

“Oh!  I've never been to one of those!  One more item to be checked off my list!  Tell me, will this be an elegant affair, or should I dress down so as not to offend your people's simple sensibilities?”  Taryon cheerfully asked, while Doty studiously kept meticulous notes of everything happening around it.  Emily refused to refer to the clockwork giant as anything but a piece of property, no matter how often Taryon said otherwise.

Vax was quick to butt in as Emily saw an all too familiar fear and discomfort flash across the half elven druid’s face.  “There are a couple of things we need to do in Vasselheim first.”  The knowing glance he exchanged with her said he knew she’d seen it too.

Once Keyleth was able to talk without sounding like she swallowed a bug, she shyly looked towards the group at large.  “Right, yeah, let's not get too caught up in this whole ‘coronation' thing.  I just, it feels a little rushed you know?”

“Oh, how long have you been preparing for it?”  Emily asked innocently enough, not at all a stranger to the stresses of regal life and the responsibilities it brought.  Being sat on a throne at ten made one grow up pretty fast though.

“Oh, about five years or so,” Keyleth admitted sheepishly after an uncomfortable if short silence had fallen between them, “give or take a few months.”

Emily nearly choked on her coffee, just managing to maintain her dignity. “Really.  That long?  Well, sometimes it's best to go at things head on.”

“Easy for you to say.”  The quiet mutter Keyleth let escape her got Emily’s full attention, and not in a way she would like.

“Oh dear.”  Percy groaned when he registered the less than regal death glare that had just appeared on Emily’s face.  He might not have seen it on her face before, but he’d seen it often enough with his friends to know what it heralded.

His expectations weren’t disappointed in that regard.

“I assume you don’t know, or rather Percival didn’t tell you, so I’ll make this as delicate as I can.”  Emily hissed between her teeth, her coffee forgotten as she set it down calmly, coolly, in front of her.  It was just as well, because she didn’t trust herself not to throw it across the room at the now dumbstruck Keyleth.  “No, it wasn’t easy for a ten year old girl to see her mother killed by an assassin and be unable to do a thing about it.  No, it wasn’t easy to then be kidnapped by the same men who orchestrated it.  And no, it wasn’t easy to be fully aware of the fact that they merely wanted my throne for themselves, and by controlling me, they would control the Empire my mother tried to keep from falling apart right until the bitter end.  So you see my sweet, naive Keyleth, I’ve already had quite the education in royal politics.  Have you?”

“I-I’m sorry.  It was...rude of me to assu-”

“Yes, it was.”  Emily interjected coldly before she left the table, leaving the half empty plate of eggs behind along with her coffee.  She suddenly wasn’t very hungry.

“Wow.”  Grog muttered once she’d gone.  “I think she might be having those lady problems you told me about Pike.”

“Gee you  _ really  _ think that's what's bothering her Grog?”  Pike muttered darkly before frowning and patting her confused and sheepish looking big friend on the arm.  “Keyleth, are you alright?”  She asked, turning to Keyleth once she’d taken care of the goliath for the moment.

“Other than I feel rather silly worrying about my coronation so much all of a sudden?”  Keyleth asked in turn as she tried to process what had just happened, her green eyes falling to the recently vacated seat.

“She just overreacted is all.  Don't take it personally Kiki, she's got a lot on her plate right now.”  Patting Keyleth on the back, Vax’s fingers made gentle, massaging circles against her skin in an effort to reassure her that no true harm had been meant.

“Oh, you’ve got no idea.”  Percy muttered into his coffee.  Only he knew the full extent of Emily’s emotional baggage, and he’d keep it that way for as long as he possibly could.

“Yeah.  Because she left.  Right?  Anyone gonna eat that?”  Grog asked, far more concerned with his stomach than anything else. Complicated problems weren’t exactly his cup of ale, so he tended to ignore them completely whenever he could.

“It's all yours buddy.”  Pike told him with a smile as she got up and walked away from the table.  Before anyone could ask what she was doing, Pike turned her head to the group without slowing her departure, “I’m just going to talk to her.”

“You sure that’s a good idea Pike?”  Vex asked, and while it sounded innocent enough, no one was fooled.  She was concerned for Pike’s wellbeing, especially after that outburst.

Leaning back in his chair before propping his feet up on the table, Vax crossed his arms over his chest and said, “She'll be fine, sister. You worry too much.”

“And you don't worry nearly enough sometimes!  I mean, we’re going to have to face down a  _ god  _ because of some stupidly desperate thing I did....”  Sniffling quietly, Vex swallowed back what she really wanted to say and settled for something far less emotionally driven, “I'm sorry brother, but that  _ woman  _ just has me on edge.”

“Vex,” Normally she heard Pike’s approach from the next hallway, but for once Vex was taken by surprise as the gnome seemed to appear next to her out of nowhere, her hands reaching up to grasp her by her shoulders, “it’ll be alright.  And yes, I agree, Emily’s a bit different from what we’re used to, but she isn’t evil.  I’d know.  She’s just had a hard time of it, just like all of us here.”

“Are you sure?  Maybe you could double check or something?”  Vex muttered as she casually wiped her face with a sleeve.

“I’ll check if it’ll make you feel better, but I won’t need to.”  Pike replied, reassuring Vex even if she firmly believed there was nothing to fear from Emily.  “She just needs good, considerate people around her, that’s all.”

“Then she better look elsewhere Pickles.”  Vax teased gently, earning a playful scowl from the gnome cleric.

Once more she started for the door, but not before Pike threw one last remark at the rogue she had the good fortune to call a dear friend.  “I’ll remember that the next time you need a foot regenerated.”

“Touche.”  Vax remarked with a smirking nod of his head.  “Have fun then.”

“Yup.  Bidet!”  Grog heartily replied through a mouthful of eggs and bacon.

“Oh Grog.”  Pike chuckled at her big brother in every way it really counted, and shook her head, a warm, endearing smile all but permanently etched on her radiant face.

And in typical Grog fashion, he perked up anytime she said his name, even though she hadn’t been looking to get his attention exactly.  “Yes my lil Monsta?”

“Nevermind, enjoy your food Grog.  I’ll be back soon.”  She promised, leaving her family behind to find Lady Kaldwin.

It took several polite inquiries to various guards and servants about the castle, but eventually Pike found Emily standing before the Raven Queen’s small temple that had been set aside for Vax, per Percy’s personal request.  They hadn’t asked, but Pike and the rest of Vox Machina knew the reason, those that cared to know at any rate.  That the small shrine stood amidst the de Rolo family cemetery was to be expected, which in turn was above the crypts that ran through a large portion of the castle grounds, but why she was here Pike couldn’t rightly say.

“You know, in civilized society, marching out of a room in a huff usually  _ isn't  _ seen as a great way to start a conversation.”  Pike quietly if cheerfully said in way of greeting, and when Emily sighed but offered her an apologetic glance from the corner of her eye, she took it as an invitation to get closer.

Due to her relatively small height, Pike was able to easily read the name etched into the grave marker before them.  It was one of the many de Rolos, specifically, one of Percy and Cassandra’s siblings, Emily had stopped in front of.  “I had no idea so many were here.”  Emily all but whispered, and while she had no reference in regards to the date carved into the stone, the markers were too new for them to have been placed after five years.

Taking into consideration that Percy had knowingly pried into her life by reading her logbook, Pike didn’t feel quite as guilty as she probably should have about what she said next.  “Vesper.  He mentions her more often than most of them, which isn't all that often really.”

“I’m...not surprised.”  Emily replied uncertainly before slowly kneeling down so she could run a hand across the stone, clearing away the leaves and bits of debris that had been covering it.  “I never had siblings, and the ‘aunt’ that came to steal my throne is the only relative I can name outside of my parents, assuming she was telling the truth which I find highly unlikely.  So I can’t say I understand what it is Percy has gone through, because I don’t.”

She understood loss though, but Pike wasn’t about to focus on that just yet.  Not when she had something much more uplifting to discuss with the Empress first.  “Well, they say you can't choose your family, but  _ I  _ say you can.  It's finding them that's the hard part.”  She subtly gestured to the marker with a nod.  “We found her brother in a cell in Stillben, alone and hopeless, having just failed to kill one of the people responsible for everything he lost.  We didn’t know much about him for the longest time, but he slowly came out of his self imposed isolation.  We...found out how he’d survived, what happened to his home, and the deal he’d struck with a demon called Orthax when he’d been at his lowest, but we stuck with him.  Because at some point along the way, he stopped being just a very odd friend and started being an even stranger brother to us.”  Pike mused with a sad grin as she reached out and pressed her hand against the stone marker.  “Don't worry, we’ll keep on taking good care of both of them for you.”  Pike quietly promised, sounding oddly somber compared to her usual upbeat self.

Emily couldn’t help but smile weakly as she slowly stood, the soft squeak of her well made leather boots the only sound she made.  She didn’t need Pike to clarify as to who she meant, or who she’d been talking to for that matter.  “You’ve all bonded in a way I didn’t think was possible before, not outside of the stories I’d read at any rate.”  She sighed and looked again towards the small, dark gray shrine before beginning to speak anew.  “I’ve...been around crowds of people all my life, but I’ve been alone for most of the time.  I can name on one hand the number of people I trust, those who have seen me at my weakest, and at twenty five years old, that’s hardly anyone at all.  And at least one of them is dead.”  Alexi’s face flashed behind Emily’s eyes, but she just as quickly dispelled it before she could see the woman fall to Ramsay’s stolen sword as it slipped between her ribs.  The same sword she carried on her belt no less.  Her father’s sword.

If Pike saw the way her brown eyes misted over, she didn’t comment on it.  “Better to have four loyal companions than four hundred fair weather friends.”

“Yes, of course….”  Emily agreed softly, before she forcibly peeled her gaze away from the Raven Queen’s shrine, finally looking down at Pike.  “You’re right.”

Pike looked slightly annoyed as she self consciously rubbed at her pierced ear.  What Emily didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt her….yet.  “So, until we can get you back to them, what would you say to seven friends who, in time, will prove just as loyal?”

“After what I just said to Keyleth, I’d be very surprised that they’d want me around.”  As soon as the words left her mouth, Emily realized they’d likely forgive her, in time.  It was human nature, even if most of them weren’t human exactly.

She needed only look at the mischievous gleam in Pike’s sparkling blue eyes to see that as she innocently asked, “Oh,  _ that  _ little scrap?  We yell and scream and fight with each other all the time.  You get used to it.”  She explained with a half hearted shrug.

“Still….”  Shaking her head, the human sighed and ran a hand across the back of her neck before deciding to take a chance.  “It’ll...take time,” Emily hedged, but the more she spoke, the strangest thing happened as she forced herself to look at Pike’s warm, kindly expectant smile.  She began to feel a little better.  “but I...think I’d like that, more than I can properly say.”

“Good!  Now come back and finish breakfast with me.  You can even tell them I dragged you back kicking and screaming if you like.”

“You would, wouldn't you?”  It was so unexpected that it took Emily a moment to realize what happened, but the broad grin on her face didn’t disappear even once the sound of her laughs registered to her own ears.  “Thank you but no, that won’t be necessary.”  She said once she’d recovered, although the mental image of Pike doing anything of the sort left her having to bite her tongue.

“What's so funny?  I'll have you know I'm quite strong for my size.”  Pike managed with a straight face as Emily tried and failed to look properly apologetic.

“No, it's not that!  I just can't picture you hurting a bloodfly, let alone dragging someone twice your size anywhere against their will.”  Emily managed to get out between her barely suppressed giggles.  It’d been so long since she’d smiled like this that she honestly couldn’t recall when she had had the occasion to do so.

While the motherly scowl that appeared on Pike’s scarred face left Emily feeling an all too familiar, sorrowful ache in her chest, she was able to smile despite it as the cleric put her hands on her small hips.  “You've clearly never seen me convincing Grog that it's time for another bath.”

It helped that Pike had implanted yet another hilarious image in her head.  “And thank you  _ so much _ for sharing that wonderful picture.”

“Yeah, trust me, it isn't a pretty sight.  All that groaning and crying.  Me groaning, Grog crying.  Breaks my little heart every time.”

“And yet you’re smiling like the Hatter who’s made off with the Imperial Reserve.”  Emily was quick to point out, unable to hide the grin on her lips even if she’d tried.

“Yeah....”  Pike admitted with a huge grin, even if Emily was fairly sure she didn’t understand the joke in its entirety.

But understanding was secondary to the fact Emily’s opinion of the gnome, which was already fairly high, had only improved.  “You know what?  I do believe I'm actually beginning to like you, Pike Trickfoot.”

“You bet your ass you are.”  She wasn’t the only one that laughed this time, as Pike happily joining her.  “I’m irresistible, what can I say?”

It didn’t last, but the momentary cheer had done far more good than Pike would ever realize.  Her brief time with Wyman had been like this in many ways, and while there were obvious differences between the noble from Morley and this woman in full plate mail, Emily felt that same ease and familiarity with Pike.  Not the romantic feelings of course, but it felt good to be able to smile and laugh for any reason at all.  It helped that Pike made it easy.

“Come on, I have something to show you.”  Pike said, giving a gentle nudge to her hip with one armored elbow.  Curious by nature, Emily obediently followed after the gnomish woman without complaint.   It didn’t take her long to see where they were going as Whitestone Castle once more loomed over them, but instead of going to the dining hall, Pike led her to another section of the castle grounds.  “Just so you know, this wasn't my idea.”  Pike quietly whispered, sounding more than a little guilty and embarrassed.

“What?  What idea?”  While she trusted Pike, as much as she could with having only known her a day and a half, two at the most, Emily still couldn’t help it when her right hand fell to the sword hilt on her belt as they entered the inner courtyard of Castle Whitestone.  She only slightly relaxed when she blinked the light out of her eyes from the mid morning sun, and saw the entirety of Vox Machina waiting for her, lined up in a row, weapons held at their sides.

Directing a dry, if amused, glare at Pike, Emily rolled her eyes when she put two and two together.  It helped confirm her suspicions when Keyleth stepped forward, a staff of strange if beautiful design clutched in her left hand.  “Hello again.  We just wanted to let you know there weren't any hard feelings.  I dare say this is even the norm for us, sort of thing....”

“You're quite right Keyleth.  And I fear we have been remiss in our traditional way of welcoming new members to our uniquely dysfunctional little club.”  Percy offered by way of apology as he gave Emily a curt, if kind, nod.

“Oh come now!  This isn't fair at all!  You were hardly this polite about my  _ welcome _ .”  Taryon groused in an annoying whine.  Gesturing wildly to Doty, he pressed onward.  “And it’d hardly be fair with Doty here.  Against Jumbo I wouldn’t feel too bad, but she’s barely a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet.  Believe me I know, I have the picture.  Now, are we giving her a proper thrashing or not?”

“You really do need to shut up more often darling.  As for your own welcome, it was because we didn't particularly like you at the time.”  Vex said with a deceptively kind smile as she started to reach towards the quiver on her back.

Grog was the least subtle of all, but that was no surprise there.  “This is gonna be good.  Show me what you have learned!”  He intoned in an oddly intelligent sounding voice, as if he was parroting another's words, as he beckoned to her with a massive sized, outstretched palm.

“Did he fight the Earthbreaker again?”  Pike called out, having since gone to the side of the courtyard.  The chorus of ‘Yes’ from her companions that followed ensured a grin spread across the gnome’s face.  “And I missed it, damn!  Alright.  Emily, if you haven't figured it out already, which would be pretty unlikely I admit, think of this as your official welcome into Vox Machina.  Since I don't particularly enjoy mindless violence, I’ll officiate.  Fair warning.  Anyone who causes any serious injuries I'll need to deal with gets a free Guiding Bolt up their ass.”

“Thank you for that kind, incredibly specific warning Pike.”  While Emily made no movement to show she’d seen Vax had since conveniently disappeared from the group, she still noted it however as she stepped forward, her fingers lightly wrapped around the hilt of her father’s sword, a marvel of mechanical genius given its unique ability to unfold at the click of a button.  “So, first blood, no permanent injury?”  She asked, hoping to get the complete rules of engagement sorted out and finalized before things got out of hand.  Meanwhile, the softest rustling of feathers against cloth told her where Vax had likely gotten to.

“That’s fair.”  Percy agreed, both to Pike’s threat of magical harm and to Emily’s question at the same time.  “What do you the rest of you think?”  Percy asked the rest of his band of friends.

Emily grinned ever so slightly as, instead of answering him, they all readied their weapon of choice with a cheerful roar.  The Empress trained assassin’s reply was far quieter, but no less clear in its intent as she slowly pulled an embroidered scarf, concealed beneath the neckline of her jacket, over the bottom half of her face.

“Ohhh, scary!”  Grog mocked with a laugh as he took the initiative and slowly stalked towards her, a large hammer in hand.

“You should be scared.”  Pressing the button on the side of the hilt, the collapsible sword unfolded, locking the blade in place once it had extended completely.  The action took only half a second, but it was just enough of a distraction for the goliath that he never saw the crossbow appear in her other hand.

But it wasn’t meant for Grog, as she casually turned, ducked the dagger hilt that was aimed for the back of her head, and pulled the trigger.  Having been completely surprised by the sleep bolt, a stunned Vax felt a sharp pinch in his right leg, just below his knee before he stumbled a step, confused.

“Well... shit.  Good ai-”  He slurred, before falling to his face at Emily’s feet.  Emily didn’t stop her spin as she ducked under the vicious swing from Grog’s giant warhammer, but she did give the downed rogue a sympathetic glance out of the corner of her eye.  She didn’t envy him the headache he’d have upon waking up later.  She gave ground willingly, sidestepping an overhead swing that had the hammer’s head slamming deep into hard stone at his feet.  Before Grog could pull it free, she promptly ran up the long handle and used the goliath’s shoulder and the back of his arm to launch herself away from his considerable reach.

She had far easier targets to take down first.

“Gods, did she just take out my brother in one shot?!”  Vex yelped, far more surprised than upset as she shot an arrow more out of impulse than desire.  A wasted effort she quickly discovered, when Emily’s sword snapped the arrow at its head with an almost lazy swing as she continued towards them, hardly slowed at all.

Percy was morbidly curious and equally stumped at how to handle this unexpected twist in what should have been a straightforward fight.  So much so he kept his pistol at his side, unable to tear his gaze away with how quick and nimble their adversary was proving to be.  “Oh dear.”

“Good show my lady!  But you won't find me to be such easy prey!”  Taryon bragged, not nearly as stunned into inaction, as he plucked a gem from his rather ridiculous helmet.  Emily’s response was to disappear into the ground, shadow and smoke consuming her completely as the gem sailed over her head.  The gem still hit the ground, but having missed its target, the spell activated just as Grog had started chasing after the darting assassin.  As a result, the grinning goliath ended up taking the full brunt of the attack himself as he was blasted with shards of ice.   “Oh crap!  Sorry Jumbo!”

“Where’d she go?!”  Grog roared happily as he brushed off most of the shards that had shredded his flesh with seemingly little effect.

“Taryon.  This is your only warning.”  Pike growled as she winced at the sight of her injured friend. 

“Save your breath.”  Emily stated just loud enough for Taryon’s nearest allies to hear her as she reappeared behind the golden armored idiot.  Before he could begin to yell for help, her arm locked around his throat while a hand clamped over his mouth and nose.  There was little chance of him breaking out of the Tyvian Chokehold, and just as so many before him, Taryon soon found himself without the means to remain conscious as he fell limp to the courtyard floor.

That was only the start of the bad news now encompassing the adventurers, because the Domino she’d prepared first took effect, dropping four more of Vox Machina in similar fashion, including the fool’s odd clockwork robot, leaving Keyleth the only remaining, conscious, opponent.  Slowly walking away from the unconscious Taryon, Emily was mindful of her path as she navigated around the rest of the downed warriors, heading right for an appropriately stunned Keyleth.  “W-what did you do to them?!”  The half elf stammered out since everything had turned upside down in incredibly short order.  Emily didn’t answer in any event, too focused on the task in front of her.

While she hadn’t planned on this exact outcome, it worked perfectly as a rather brutal springboard what Emily had wanted to discuss with Keyleth anyway, once she had had a chance to calm herself of course.  But now wasn't the time to allow woefully inexperienced leader a chance for calm, peaceful thoughts.  Emily fully intended to push her, either until she broke, or she adapted, there would be no middle ground.  With that in mind, she normally, if this had been an actual combat situation, wouldn’t have wasted words at all.  She’d have already dropped Keyleth where she stood and called it a day.

As it was, Emily found it strange to strike up a conversation in the first place, but she managed to find the words well enough.  “What will you do now princess?  Your allies lay bested, and quite laughably defenseless.”  She coldly mocked with a dismissive wave of her sword towards Vex, who was lying in an undignified heap just behind Keyleth, her bow forgotten at her side.  She still breathed, but a simple grenade could fix that in a hurry if Emily had half a mind to kill them all.  “So, will you fight for them, or awkwardly attempt to talk your way out of trouble?  Or perhaps you'll merely surrender?  You do seem to prefer the easiest choices from what I’ve seen.  Allow me to give you a few moments to think it over.  While you do, I believe I'll leave a memorial mark for each of your incapacitated companions, as that doesn't seem to violate the spirit of this fine ‘tradition’ of yours.”

“Emily, don't.  Please.”  Pike growled, thankfully continuing to look just as protectively menacing when Emily flashed her a quick wink.  “ _ Oh _ ....”  She mouthed before Emily could jerk her head back to sneer at Keyleth.  Pike understood there was no danger here, but Emily was glad she allowed the show to go on.

Out loud however, Emily continued in the same soft, cold tone of voice she had perfected long ago.  “Come now Pike, you won't always be there to save the little princess from constantly failing her friends.  Hmm, perhaps a matching set.”  She mused, as she causally knelt next to Vax and gently ran a hand over the scar on his cheek.  Corvo would have likely split his skull open, seeing her leaving herself open as she was.  Anton would have just laughed before making a comment about her arrogance.

Keyleth’s response to her almost cartoonish posturing was….not what Emily had been anticipating however.  “Get your hands off him, he’s  _ mine _ .  And you don't have to remind me, trust me, I know just how badly I've failed those I was meant to protect.”  Before she could ask what she meant, or why Keyleth sounded like she was addressing a hated enemy all of a sudden, Emily was confronted with a very different half elven druid in the next heartbeat.  A blinding flash of light later, and she had to crane her neck to take in the enormous golem of stone, its hands wreathed in flames, now towering over her where Keyleth had just been standing.  Emily could just imagine Corvo giving her a lecture about underestimating an unknown adversary as she took a step back.

“So surrender it is then?”  Emily quietly snarked, despite the unbelievable sight before her.  This might be the strangest fight she’d ever participated in, but far from the deadliest.

She only just managed to use her Far Reach to get out of range of the first gigantic fist that slammed into the ground where she’d just been standing, before having to roll when a large boulder was launched in her general direction.  “Okay, that's new.”  Emily grunted as she got to her feet again, reassessing the situation as it presented itself to her.  For a giant stone golem, Keyleth was not as slow as she’d hoped.  This could end badly for her in a hurry.

“You  _ do _ realize everyone’s still alive right?”  Pike called out to Keyleth, no doubt in an effort to keep Emily alive as another boulder slammed just shy of the mark.  The startled, unintelligible growls and grunts that sounded like boulders falling down a mountainside were followed by a shrug of the giant’s shoulders.  It seemed to satisfy Pike though as she waved her hand dismissively at them both.  “Just so you’re aware, feel free to continue this stupid pissing contest.”

Emily didn’t reply, but she did roll her eyes good naturedly at the commentary from Pike as she considered pulling one of the grenades on her belt.  Thankfully it didn’t become necessary when Keyleth dropped the stone golem form, only to transform into a giant eagle.  “Are you kidding me?!”  She couldn’t help the outburst, especially with Keyleth barrelling down at her, wicked looking talons outstretched before her.  The beast’s beak was no less imposing as she snapped and cawed menacingly at her back.  Emily did the only thing she could do and used her Far Reach to pull herself up the wall of the courtyard, just avoiding the beak and the talons as Keyleth flew past, now far below her.  Keyleth’s loud screech rattled her ears as the massive eagle banked around for another pass, just avoiding slamming into the side of the courtyard wall.  So much for that plan.

“You know, I strangely find you  _ less  _ annoying this way!”  Emily shouted as she shot her empty hand forward, and latched a tendril of the Void around the back of Keyleth’s tailfeather covered behind.  Pulling herself onto the woman’s back as she flapped hard, gaining height with every beat of her large wings, Emily quickly but carefully ran the length of the eagle’s back so that she was standing just behind Keyleth’s neck.  The crossbow with another sleep draught bolt made its second appearance, just within the gaze of Keyleth’s large, avian eyes when she cocked her head to the side.

A split second later, Keyleth astounded her for a third time in as many minutes by transforming into an air elemental, one hand swirling tightly around the assassin’s midsection, pinning her arms to her sides.  “Oh... by the Outsider’s bloody ba-”  Buffeting winds kicked up around Emily, cutting off the rest of what she’d been about to say as she quickly found herself in the center of a raging gale.  Up became down, down became up, and while she couldn’t be sure, she could have sworn she saw the creature of air smiling smugly at her as she was tossed and whirled about with no means to slow down or stop her dizzying tumble.

Emily screamed as she tumbled to the ground, buffeted by a gentle breeze at the last moment, so that she only bone jarringly slammed into the dirt instead of crashing head first into it.  She achingly glanced up to see Keyleth standing over her in her familiar half elven form, an ever so pleased smile plastered on her face.  “Welcome to Vox Machina, Emily!”

While she was still very dizzy from being spun about, Emily was able to latch onto the offered hand as Keyleth pulled her upright.  As utterly inept as the woman was socially, at least she wasn’t indecisive when it came to protecting her allies.  It was a lesson Emily wouldn’t soon forget, but what was of far more importance to her was that she felt a strange warmth at the simple fact that, as far as Keyleth was concerned, she was now a part of their merry band.  Said band who had woken up after she’d hit the ground, except for Vax, but that was no surprise since she  _ had  _ drugged him, as she was quick to mentally note once the dizziness passed.

“Ugh….what’d we miss?”  Grog grumbled, one large hand clutching the side of his head.  “And how come we all passed out when the lil shitbag went down?”

“I was wondering that myself, Grog.”  Vex muttered, her own head no doubt similarly aching from the lack of air to her brain that Taryon had felt directly.

As if on cue, Taryon wheezed, his throat bruised and sore from where Emily had locked her arm around him.  Rolling to his feet, he gingerly rubbed a hand across his abused windpipe while his free hand also went to the side of his head, acting like he was far more injured than he actually was.  “Oh, oh the pain, the pain of it all!”

Emily shared one glance with Keyleth, and when she saw the mischief dancing in those pretty green eyes, she found it all too easy to turn to the so called adventurer as she pulled her scarf back down away from her mouth while her free hand went to her belt once more.  “Oh Taryon?  Catch.”

A familiar small pouch of gold smacked into Taryon’s already bruised face with a satisfying yelp of pain.  “Ow!  You were supposed to lose badly!  You know that right?”

“It seemed perfectly fair to me.”  Pike happily chimed in as she walked up to the group.  A less than gentle glowing hand to the back of Taryon’s head had the mixed effect of healing his bruised throat, while leaving a small welt where the metal gauntlet made contact.

“What about Vax?”  Vex asked, but Emily was on top of it as she produced a small vial of what looked like smelling salts from her pouch.  “Oh?  Smelling salts?”

“Something like that.  You think I’d handle such a strong concoction without the antidote?”  She didn’t wait for a response before waving the strong smelling tincture under the half elf’s noise, although not before pulling out the drugged bolt out of his leg.

“Gah, fuck off Vex.  Give me five more minutes.... Oh.  Wait. Did you just fucking  _ shoot  _ me?” He winced as he glanced down at the small wound on his leg.  “Well there goes my fucking perfect record.  No one  _ ever  _ gets a square shot off on me.”

“You didn’t exactly make it that hard.”  Emily countered, wielding a little metaphorical salt as well, she put the spent crossbow bolt away, fully intending to make a fresh draught of the sleep potion for later, along with her vial of the antidote.  Once she put it safely back in the appropriate belt pouch, she held out a hand to the rogue.  “But then again, I was trained by the best.”

“But I was invisible.”  Vax deadpanned, but he accepted the hand up.  “Literally.”

“Not to my eyes.”  Emily retorted and tapped the side of her head for emphasis.  “Dark Vision on command, you were lit up like the sun to me.  Also, you stink like a sewer rat.”  She added as an afterthought.  This last part was a lie, but she  _ had  _ heard him coming, if only because she’d been paying close attention.

“Hey!  I'll have you know I just took a bath in the ocean a couple days ago.”  Vax said defensively as he took an experimental sniff before making a face.  “Also this armor smells like shit, no matter how much I clean the damn thing.”

Emily couldn’t help the teasing smile that pulled at her lips as she walked back to the rest of the group.  “Seawater still stinks Vax’ildan.  I know from experience.”  She casually tossed over her shoulder.

“I guess you would Ems.  Okay you’ve made your point.  So did we lose or what Pickles?”

“Horribly,”  Pike cheekily informed the group at large as they finished gathering around her.  “Keyleth won for you though, while the rest of you were napping.”

“And thus further proves that Keyleth of the Air Ashari is by far the most powerful of this noble group.”  Taryon declared despite the dirty looks his comment got for his trouble.

“But, but I didn't even get to....  Fuck it.  I'll be in my room.”  Grog moped as he scooped up his warhammer and sullenly stomped away.

Emily felt a strange mixture of satisfaction and regret at the way the formerly boisterous goliath slowly wandered off.  “Did I break him?”  She asked, and even went so far as to mentally debate if she shouldn’t apologize to the half giant.

“He'll be alright, he just needs some alone time.”  Pike informed her with a knowing shrug.

“You never did tell us how you took out most of the group when you took Taryon down.”  Vex was quick to point out, again, once Grog had run off with his tail between his legs.  If anything, the sarcastic archer now regarded her with open suspicion, rather than mere annoyance.

“Domino.”  Emily replied simply, before deciding to elaborate when Vex only raised an eyebrow.  “From what I understand, the Outsider’s gift manifests itself differently for each person he marks.  Because I’m an Empress, a woman used to having her orders obeyed, naturally most of my powers follow in that vein.”

Percy, his eyes also narrowing in suspicion, was the first to realize the true implication of her strange, to them at least, ability.  “So if you had killed Taryon-”

Emily didn’t allow Percy to finish.  “We wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“And suddenly you scare the shit out of me, good to know.”  Percy replied with as much cheer as he could muster, but she could see her answer had unnerved him a great deal.  Shuddering, he shook it off as best he could.  “Well, good news is, you did spectacularly well.  Bad news, I’m never,  _ ever _ betting against you again.”  The pouch of money he threw at Vax answered who he had bet with.

“Oh, also thanks for not killing the lot of us and stealing our shit Em.”  Vax told her with a smirk, despite the hint of fear in his brown eyes as he deftly made the coin pouch disappear.

“No need to kiss her ass so willingly, brother.”  Vex grumbled, showing no sign of shouldering her bow any time soon.

“Says the one that can’t keep her eyes  _ off  _ her ass, sister.”  Vax muttered, the sly, lopsided grin twisting ever upward as Vex blushed and tried to sputter out a denial.

“If it makes you feel better, Keyleth’s ability to transform wasn't something I was expecting at all.  I’m willing to admit I’ve grossly misread and underestimated you, and for that I sincerely apologize.”  The subtle hint to that morning’s incident didn’t get past Keyleth as she looked up, touched by Emily’s admission as she held out her hand to the redhead.  “I hope we can...start fresh if nothing else.”

“I'd like that.”  Keyleth stated softly, grasping the offered limb, before none too gently yanking Emily forward so that they were practically nose to nose.  “Oh, and if you ever humiliate my friends like that again... I won't be as gentle.”

“Um Keyleth, my love-”  Vax stammered out.

“What?”  It was then that Keyleth saw the pistol jammed against her stomach, where her armor, what little she actually wore, didn’t offer much protection.  “Oh.”  She paled, smiling sheepishly up into Emily’s face.

“I’m mildly disappointed he didn’t at least throw a dagger, or at least do something equally stupid.  He certainly had the opportunity.“  A quick glance towards the rogue revealed he had in fact drawn one of his daggers, but had held himself back at the last second.  The little smile Keyleth saw on her face  wasn’t quite as reassuring as it was probably meant to be as Emily put her gun back into its holster with a casual flick of her wrist at the same time that she pulled her hand free of the druid’s grasp.  Just as quickly, she put that same hand on the woman’s shoulder, no longer appearing threatening in the slightest.  “I’ll take your words to heart.  And, perhaps I was a tad overzealous in my response to your mostly good natured hazing.”

“Oh no, this was quite revealing actually.”  Percy offered, no longer looking ready to shoot her in the back.  “But more importantly, you also have a much better appreciation of what this world is best known for.  Keyleth’s powers barely scratch the surface of what we’re capable of, believe me.  You’ll know to keep your eyes open from here on out.”

“You know,” Vex began once Pike, who’d been tending to the rest of the group, although most of them had gotten out of the fight without a scratch, had finished with her, “going to Hell suddenly doesn't seem like as much of a really bad idea anymore.”

Blinking at that casual slip of the tongue from Vex, Emily didn’t know how to respond to it save to ask, “Excuse me?”

“Oh, don't worry about it, darling.  It’s not for a few days yet.”  Vex said in an effort to reassure her, but Emily didn’t know whether to take her at face value or not, so it left her worriedly scratching her head as they began to make preparations for their trip to Vassalhiem.


	5. Heartfelt Road Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who haven't seen some of my recent comments, here's an update. :D I was out of town this weekend, (the 25th to the 26th), having gone to a Comic Con for the first time in my life. It was in Chicago, nothing like the San Diego one I've heard about, BUT it was still incredibly awesome to have been able to finally make the trip. But for those of you who've asked why I slowed down in getting chapters out, that's why lol. I also took a little time to properly edit chapter 4 as i should have done the first time around, shoring up a few holes and what have you mostly. Anyway, enjoy everyone and hope to see you again. Peace!

**Chapter Five**

**Heartfelt Road Trip**

_ Day, Month, and Year unknown…. I hate not knowing most of all. _

_ It’s been a very... strange experience these last few days, slowly coming to grips with the reality I’m not in Gristol anymore.  I’m fairly certain I’m not even on Earth anymore, but despite what that means for me, let alone those I’ve left behind, I can’t help my intense curiosity as I uncover more about this world at nearly every turn.  Every creature I once thought was a mere figment of my overactive imagination, plus dozens more I’ve never even heard of, seem to call this place home as surely as I did Dunwall.  What I’ve quickly come to realize however, is that despite their obvious physical differences, most of them have many of the same problems I’ve seen and even experienced first hand.  It seems that the usual struggles one faces in life are universal obstac- _

Emily stiffened when she felt rather than saw someone standing over her shoulder.  Before she could whirl on the spot, an amused chuckle stopped her.  “You know, you  _ could _ just ask me what the date is, if not knowing bothers you so much.”

“Get out of my room Vax.”  The softly whispered words were no less effective in driving the grinning rogue back, although it probably helped she had started to reach for the pistol on her desk.  But even when the door gently shut behind the damnable rogue, Emily erred on the side of caution and gave her room a once over with her Dark Vision.  When nothing jumped out at her, humanoid or otherwise, she muttered a curse before turning back to her desk.  “ _ Now  _ he decides to sneak up on me?  After I drugged him and knocked out his friends?  Hmm.  Maybe I should have gone a little easier after all.”

She already knew the answer to her unspoken question regarding how  _ that  _ would have gone over with the group if she had held back more.  That didn’t stop Vax from sarcastically answering her rhetorical question from beyond the door however.  “Because when we're really in deep shit, we expect you to use restraint and diplomacy? Also, I notice you talk out loud a lot, anyone ever call you out on that?  It's a bad habit if you happen to like keeping secrets.”

“Just open the damn door since it’s just there for decoration at this point.”  Emily grumbled, seeing no point to keeping Vax out if he was just going to annoy her anyway, door or no door that he had already picked open in any event.

At least he had the sense to slowly peek around the once more partially opened doorway, no doubt expecting her to shoot him in the face.  She was tempted, she’d admit.  “I'm very confused right now Ems.  Your pistol says ‘get the fuck out’, but your eyes say ‘I‘m so lonely, if only a handsome, dashing-’”

“What do you want?”  Emily butted in, feeling a headache coming on from the rogue’s teasing commentary as she watched him plop down on the edge of her bed.  “I presume you're invading my privacy,  _ again _ , for good reason?”  Or he really did want to get shot and tossed out on his ass.

“More target practice?  Just kidding.”  He hurriedly stated when her eyes narrowed darkly.  “Kiki just wanted me to give you this.”  Vax explained with a wide grin, before he held up a small coin pouch, except there was no money to be had this time.  A quick glance with Dark Vision told her that much.  The familiar shine of coins or other treasure wasn’t present, but there was….something there.  Before she could make out what it was, Vax’s fingers closed over the pouch, blocking her enhanced vision in the process.  “No cheating Ems.”  Having likely seen the flash of her eyes, Vax no doubt, and correctly, assumed she was using her magic to see through the plain little leather pouch.

“You  _ did  _ sort of poison me just the other day, and then you tried to gracelessly bash me in the back of the head.”  Emily countered, remembering well the taste of the Sand Keg before she hadn’t been able to feel her mouth at all for several moments.

“And if this was from anyone else, I wouldn't blame you for being paranoid.”  Vax cheerfully retorted in that annoyingly charming sarcastic way she had already come to expect from him.  “Go on, take it.”  He said, unfolding his fingers from the pouch.

“Percy might be the only other exception.”  She pointed out, a hint of a grin appearing on her face as Vax chuckled about the same time.  Still, she accepted the pouch from the rogue’s outstretched hand without further complaint.  Pulling the drawstring aside, she turned the bag upside down into her open hand, revealing a rather simple, but handcrafted amulet made of wood.  The little flowers and leaves entangled around it gave off a pleasant, calming scent to her nose.  She was surprised, to be sure, having no idea what to say as she looked up at Vax’s softly smiling face.  Handcrafted gifts were a rarity in her experience, and while the amulet wasn’t anything most of those back home would ever consider worthy of royalty, to Emily it meant a great deal.

Vax watched her put it around her neck before deftly tying the rope securely behind her. It looked good on her.  “She surprised us with these the other day.”  He explained before tapping at a similar amulet around his own neck.  “It's enchanted with a simple spell, if any of the wearers fall unconscious, you'll feel a rhythmic heartbeat.  We're going on a bit of a road trip today, so Keyleth thought it best you have one as well.”

“Thank you.”  Emily whispered, her earlier mood forgotten in the wake of this latest gift.  “I don’t know if I deserve it, but I’ll keep it close.”

“You can thank Taryon too, I stole that one from his room for you.”

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”  Emily chuckled softly as she idly ran her fingers over the warm wood and the little vines that encircled the amulet itself.  “But truly, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it Ems.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I actually do have other people to annoy this morning.”  While he didn’t disappear, Vax quickly, and quietly, made his way out, his footsteps as light as any cat she’d seen.  She was no slouch to moving quietly by any means, yet he seemed to be naturally able to move as a shadow lynx at will.  Even when the door gently shut behind him, Emily didn’t move, half expecting Vax to poke his head back in if she let her guard down for a moment.

So she wasn’t disappointed when he did just that only to get pegged by the pillow she ripped off of her bed.  “Nice shot.”  He grunted, eyes closed yet a smile present on his face despite having been hit. “And highly preferable to another one of those sleep bolts.”

“I could have done far worse.”  She quietly told him as she turned back to her desk, and picked up the feather quill once more.  He couldn’t see the little smirk that appeared on her face as she laid out the rest of her joke.  “I could have just as easily used one of my Howler bolts.  You’d have gone blind from terrible, horrific visions while you ran away screaming.”

“Yeesh.  Someone's a bit pissy this morning.  We are  _ definitely  _ getting you laid tonight.”  While she couldn’t see it, she heard the shudder that passed through Vax as he held his ground despite the vivid picture she had painted for him.

She’d have to fix that.  “Stay a moment would you?”  Emily said innocently enough as she reached for her miniature crossbow and began methodically reloading it.  “You're right, I could use a bit of a release Vax....”  By the time she spun towards him, a Howling Bolt primed and ready, the door been slammed shut in his wake.  “Finally.”  She grunted, leaving her loaded crossbow next to her pistol, within easy reach of her hand in case she needed to make an example of the equally annoying rogue.  The Howling Bolt chambered within would indeed do what she said, but it didn’t get its name from the powdered filled container.  It got its name because of the literal howl the bolt emanated as it traveled to its target, having been fitted with a kind of whistle that made sure everyone within earshot knew what was heading their way.

It took her a few moments to finish jotting down her thoughts for the morning, mostly because she had had to remember where she’d left off and where she’d planned to go with them, but Emily felt better having gotten it all written down before she packed what little she had to worry about.  According to Pike, after they had gotten a light lunch to celebrate her ‘welcome’, they were planning to leave as soon as they were able for a place called Vasselheim, a city known for being rich in religious institutions the world over.

It sounded absolutely boring to her.  An entire city of Abbeymen.  She morbidly had to wonder how religious strife hadn't destroyed it long ago, let alone apparently allowing the city to become one of the oldest bastions of civilization in this world.  Then again, if Pike was any example, perhaps she was being too harsh regarding her opinion on such matters?

All thoughts of religious philosophy soon faded however, as, less than a hour later, she found herself staring at a strangely familiar large tree.  The Sun Tree, she recalled, during her almost whirlwind tour of the castle grounds and its surrounding town.  “You’re joking.”  Emily muttered disbelievingly as she stared up at the massive tree in front of her, hands on her hips and head thrown back so she could attempt to take in the entirety of it.  “Is this yet another practical joke, or one of your immature hazing rituals?”

“Nope.”  Keyleth stated to the contrary before running a hand almost lovingly across the tree’s thick, old trunk.  “Tree striding is just one of my many abilities, or do you need a refresher?”

Emily wasn’t in any hurry to go up against Keyleth’s ability to shapeshift again, so she quickly if softly said, “I’m good, thank you.”

“Em.  Close your eyes.”  Vax sighed at the glare he received and placatingly raised his hands.  “I'm just going to give you a nudge, alright?   Trust me, knowing you, you aren't going to like this bit.”

“And we only have six seconds to get through once the portal’s open anyway.”  Vex pointed out.  “Wouldn’t want you to get stuck half way, would we darling?”  She mercilessly added with a charming smile.

“Is she seri-”  Keyleth didn’t give her a chance to finish before throwing her arms out to either side in front of the tree.  When she did, Emily saw why Vax said she wouldn’t like it as the tree’s trunk parted and she could just make out a city on the other side.  Like any sane person would, although she had already started to question her sanity many times since arriving in this place, she immediately took a step back.

Taking full advantage of her utterly stupefied, slack jawed paralysis, Vax wasted no time as he turned to the hulking goliath that had conveniently positioned himself right behind Emily.  “Grog.  Plan B.  Throw her.”

“Finally!”  Grog roared approvingly, one large hand falling on the back of Emily’s shoulders and neck.

“Wait, hol-!”  Just as quickly, she shrieked as a second hand latched onto the small of her waist and she was bodily tossed head first through the open ‘tree door’.  “-d on!” She finished just as she hit the ground on the other side of the magical portal, sliding to a stop with her butt in the air and her face feeling like half of the skin on her cheek had been rubbed off. “Grog….”  She growled as she pushed herself up to her hands and knees.

“Yes your Imperial Majesty?”  He crooned between stomach trembling guffaws.

Jumping to her feet, Emily spun on her heel, her father’s sword unfolding in her hand as she leveled her gaze on the stupidly grinning barbarian.  “Run.”

“Ha!”  He nearly doubled over with boisterous laughter at hearing her threat.

“I don't think she's kidding buddy.”  Vax muttered, knowing full well Grog had just stuck his foot in it now.  The look on her face as he saw her fingers twitch by her weapon belt certainly didn’t look like she was joking to him.

“Oh.”  Grog’s massive gray eyes widened ever so slightly as Emily leveled her crossbow at his chest in the next heartbeat.  “Shit.”

“Indeed.  Have a nice trip.” Emily muttered as she tightened her grip on the trigger.

“Stop!  Don't you  _ dare _ Emily!”  Pike yelled in what could only be called a motherly voice as she gave the assassin her best stern look, having somehow gotten between her and the goliath.  Granted, she could have just as easily shot over Pike’s head.

But the simple action of Pike stepping in front of her at all was enough to get her attention.  “Dammit.”  Emily cursed after giving Pike’s glare a moment to register, but she obediently sheathed her blade and the collapsible crossbow in short order.  “Very well, but I'm shooting him next time.”

“Oh don’t worry, you won’t have to wait long to get the urge to do so again I’m sure.”  Percy helpfully pointed out.

“But all the same, thank you for not unleashing the Giant Grey Rage Monster that is Grog tripping balls on this town.”  Vax offered with a quiet sigh of relief.

“Something to look forward to later then?”  Taryon asked, strangely hopeful despite the rogue’s all too grateful, relieved tone.  Once more Emily had to wonder how this man had survived past his fifth birthday.

“So, as to our plans for this afternoon….or rather evening?  Early morning?”  Since it’d been early afternoon back at Whitestone, a glance at the sky revealed that they had traveled a great distance in a very short amount of time since it was pitch black from what Emily could see.  She’d traveled a fair amount, she knew the globe wasn’t flat and that it revolved around the sun, but she had never gone so far in such a short amount of time like this before that she outpaced the sun itself.

Whatever the case, time was wasting, and Percy seemed to be the only one that had even the semblance of a plan in mind.  “Well, since we have a few things to get accomplished in short order, we'll split up, cover more ground that way.  We’ll need a rendezvous point in any event, which will most likely  be the nearest tavern in our experience.”

“Or the tree we just walked out of.”  Emily muttered sarcastically.  “But, yes, a secondary location is a good idea.”  While she was still getting used to the fact she had just walked out of a  _ tree  _ of all things, Emily was nothing if not adaptable.  Besides, it might have been the strangest thing she’d experienced thus far, but it was far from the only one.

“We'll handle getting rid of... the item.”  Vex droned, as she pulled her brother after her.  Her obvious suspicion and secrecy really shouldn't have surprised Emily, yet the archer’s wary tone still vexed her.

“Very well, I believe Keyleth and I will head for the local Cobalt chapter and do some research on Orcus and the Nine Hells then.”  Percy said with a shrug, although he had a funny feeling it wouldn’t be quite that straightforward.  Nothing in their life usually was though.

“Have fun, like Vex said, we’ll get rid of... the thing we shan't speak of in front of you know who.”  As if it wasn’t obvious enough, Vax was also trying very hard not to include her in whatever he was planning, the little sidelong glance he tossed her way only further aroused her suspicions.  She didn’t mind though, especially since she got the uneasy feeling she was probably better off being in the dark in this instance. “It's a book full of bad shit you don't want to know about.  There, now you know as much as the rest of us.  Feel better?”

“Not really.  But thank you for sharing.”  That nagging little voice in the back of her head flared up, wanting her to try and sneak a peek at the book they were hiding from her, but Emily beat it down ruthlessly.  She might not be familiar with Exandria, but she understood better than most people that there were some things better left alone.

Thankfully she had a distraction when Grog started to open his mouth, addressing the cleric among them.  “Grog, it’s books or books buddy, pick one.”  Pike told him with a grin once he’d asked what he should be doing before her friend scowled in disgust.

“But they both fucking suck so much!”  Grog pouted profusely.

Shockingly Taryon was, for once, in possession of a good idea.  “Do we happen to have need of any potions or magical implements of any kind my valiant brothers and sisters in arms?”

“It couldn't hurt to replenish our supplies.” Percy replied with a shrug. “Grog, why don't you tag along with him?”

“Fuck yeah!”  Grog happily agreed, freed from the utter boredom he was obviously dreading.

“Potions?  You mean like elixirs?”  Emily asked as she tapped at the red vials attached to her intricate belt pouch.

“In a manner of speaking, yes, actually.”  Mused a slightly surprised Percival as he stole a glance at the vials in question.  He’d likely forgotten she’d even had any in the first place.  “But I’d feel comfortable having more on hand.  We tend to go through them pretty quick.”

“Well, I for one could use some materials for my gear.  Mostly gunpowder, metals, herbs, and any of the tools necessary to create more shell casings.”  Emily had no idea if the alchemical recipes she had would match up with anything on this world, but she had to assume there’d be similarities at the very least.  She was very glad she’d taken the time to draw the various plants in her log book for easy reference, having no idea she’d actually need them for comparison in the situation she was in now.

“I believe I can help you there.  Pike, would you mind showing Emily where Victor’s shop is?”

Pike took one very pointed look at Percy, and said, much to Emily’s surprise, “I hate you right now.”

“I'll take that as a yes.”

“Fine.  Come on.”  Emily was honestly taken by surprise as the small gnome grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her after her down the street.  Apparently that boast about her being stronger than she appeared wasn’t such a boast after all.

“I'm more than capable of following you of my own free will.”  Emily pointedly reminded Pike once they had put some distance between themselves and the rest of the gnome’s allies.  Yanking her hand free, she flexed her fingers experimentally before staring down at Pike, concerned curiosity etched into her fair face.

“Sorry.  Oh!  You know what, I should show you around, Vasselheim is actually quite fascinating and ancient, if a little spartan.”  The dirt and mud roads certainly gave that impression to Emily.

Emily wouldn’t be so easily distracted however.  “Pike.  Are you trying to less than subtly dissuade me from visiting this Victor fellow... by bribing me with a sightseeing tour?  And here I thought you were mildly boring.”

Giving it up for a lost cause, Emily smiled as Pike threw her hands into the air.  “Maybe?”  Pike admitted at last while letting Emily’s gentle poke slide, letting a defeated sigh escape her.  “Just... be careful around Victor?  He’s not a bad person, but he’s a little…..odd.”

“How odd?”  Emily asked before she could stop herself.  Having ran through Karnaca’s sewers and back alleys, she’d seen some pretty odd, even deranged individuals, so while she was prepared for almost anything, the last two days alone had opened her mind to whole new possibilities.

Her growing sense of unease wasn’t helped by Pike’s cryptic response.  “You'll see.  Oh, and try not to stare at his hand.”

“Alright... thank you for the advice.”  It took about an hour to finally find their way to Victor’s establishment, mostly due to Pike’s need to stop and gawk at every temple or shrine along the way.  By the time they arrived at their destination, Emily was sure of two things.  She most definitely wasn’t in a strictly controlled Everyman city for one.  This place was too bright, too joyful, too free in the various religious orders and those that followed them to be the totalitarian regime that was the Abbey’s purview.  Her earlier opinion had been summarily discarded in place of a far more gentler one as she saw a small group of kindly looking people, bearing a similar mark as the one etched into Pike’s armor, handing out sweets to a group of children.

The second thing she was certain of was that she was going to spend another hour just getting the mud off her boots.  But just as quickly as the thought passed through her mind, Emily was gently pulled towards their destination when Pike noticed her looking elsewhere.

Seeing the steel, heavy looking door with its eye slit pulled shut, Emily once more remembered her uneasy feeling.  That didn’t stop her from slowly approaching the rather….ramshackled looking place on its own little hill, squeezed into two other, much more better looking houses on either side of it.  “Aren't you going to come in?”

“Oh no, no thanks.”  Pike rapidly blurted out with one of those damnably charming smiles of hers.

“Alright then... I'll be right back.”  Emily steeled her courage and opened the heavy metal door in front of her.  And then walked into a drab but seemingly normal little shop.  Huh, she was honestly beginning to wonder what all the fuss was about.

Then a grizzled, bearded old man suddenly jumped out of the shadows behind her.  “OH!  Hello pretty lady, you want blackpowder?!”  The old man shouted cheerfully as he all but ran right at her before stopping just shy of colliding into her head on.

“Uh…..I guess?”  Suddenly she wasn’t so sure of herself as she took in the strange individual in front of her, rather proud of the fact she'd managed to avoid killing him by accident.  Her hand had since flown to her father’s sword, and had only just managed to stop herself from drawing it on the man that she now saw was missing quite a few of his fingers.  Not only that, but one hand was just gone, replaced by a mechanical prosthetic.

Waving a rather crude metal hook that served as his left hand in front of her face, the frazzled, black powder covered merchant who had seen one too many explosions up close, quickly got her mind back to the matter before her.  “How much you want?!  Don't have all day!”

“I beg to differ.”  Emily muttered once she had gotten a good look at what was left of this very odd….merchant.  “I mean of course, I wouldn’t want to waste your time.  How much would it take to fill a box full of these?”  Presenting one of the many pristine pistol shells she used for her gun, she smirked softly when the man’s eyes about fell out of his head.

“Ohhh, shiny.  And all powder, inside this little thing?”  He asked, keenly curious in a way that wasn’t so dissimilar to how Percy had asked about her various tools.

“Yes.  It makes it a lot safer to handle once loaded into a weapon.”  Of course the shells themselves still had to be prepared properly and the powder poured into each individual casing at a time, but it was work she was familiar with.  She just needed the tools for the job, a chore she planned to take care of before they left town.

“Hmm, safer you say?!  Trade you powder for half of those shelly things.”  She barely avoided jerking back as he snapped his hook like appendage closed a few inches from her face.

“Not on your life.”  Emily flatly refused.  There was no way in the Void she’d be responsible for giving this merchant anything from her world only to have it fall into the wrong hands.

“Quarter, ten, five!”  He barked, growing more pleadingly desperate as he went.

“I’ll pay in gold or not at all.”  Vex had been kind enough to throw her a thousand gold pieces before they'd left.  She was sure she could afford whatever this powder merchant would ask for in return for more of his blackpowder.  She’d still test the alchemical properties of course, to be sure it was compatible with her unique firearms, but at a glance over his shoulder suggested it was, at least from a physical standpoint, the same as the powder she used already.

“Fine!  Hmmm, a hogshead worth.  Should last you awhile, hmph!  Five hundred gold!”

Haggling was something she’d gotten a lot of experience in when she’d dealt with the black market merchants back home.  She was certain she could easily beat Victor at this particular game.  “Do you remember Percival by any chance, another fellow gunslinger?”

“OH!  You know Percy?!”  Victor asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement and familiarity.  “Why didn’t you say so?!  Hmm….still five hundred!”

She shrugged, not all that surprised he wouldn’t lower the price on Percy’s good name alone.  That didn’t stop her from trying a much more direct approach however.  “Two hundred and fifty.”

“Four-fifty!”  Victor shot back immediately.

“Three hundred.”

“You drive hard bargain.  I like you!  Three-fifty!”

“A deal well struck then.  Three-twenty-five.”  She had him and he didn’t even know it as she baited him.

“Yes, deal!  Wait, no!”  Realizing too late he’d been had, Victor desperately tried to backpedal.

But she wouldn’t be denied as she methodically, quickly, counted out the coins into her open hand, a triumphant smile forming on her lips.  “Too late I'm afraid.”

“You very clever  _ and _ pretty.  Meh,  _ fine _ , business is slow anyway.”  Snatching the offered coins away, Victor grinned wildly.  “Wait here!  Be right back!”

“Of course.  I'll just... try to stay perfectly still.”  Emily admitted as she glanced around and suddenly realized that the entire establishment was positively coated in gunpowder dust.  A stray spark could light the entire neighborhood on fire.  No wonder Pike hadn’t wanted to enter this place, or be anywhere near it for that matter.  Just thinking about the powder she had likely accumulated made Emily painfully aware she might have to burn her entire outfit, for fear of going up in smoke later.

Before she could reconsider her choice, or her sanity for listening to Percival's shopping advice, Victor came bounding back out, bearing the promised hogshead full of more of the potentially volatile powder.  “Here!”  Emily involuntarily jumped as Victor tossed the bundle on the dusty counter.  “Thanks for your purchase, come back soon!  Now get out!  Busy busy busy!”

It was only after the heavy metal door had slammed shut behind her, that Emily shuddered and made it a note to put as much distance between herself and Victor as possible, hogshead clutched tightly in her arms.  “Outsider’s balls.... How is this place even still standing?”  She asked, giving the blackpowder merchant’s home one last, nervous glance, half expecting it to explode in her face out of spite.

“Well, I  _ did  _ just bless it, so Sarenrea’s divine will?”  Pike offered offhandedly as she quickly rejoined the cleric.

Between the Outsider and the Everyman faith, Emily couldn’t help the note of disgust that escaped her at the thought.  “Right.  Her will be done.”

“She healed you didn’t she?”  Pike asked as they started down the road, back to the tavern they had agreed upon.

“ _ You _ healed me.  Not some-”  Emily started to say, but the pleading, beseeching way Pike was looking at her made the rest of her words die on her tongue.

“Since she's probably listening, can we please have this conversation  _ literally _ anywhere else but here?”  Pike implored her, flicking her blue eyes towards the ramshackle explosion waiting to happen.

“Y-yes, of course.”  Emily stuttered, a part of her wondering why she felt guilty all of a sudden, but her thoughts turned to other concerns as they turned a corner.

She felt someone watching them almost instantly.  Pike didn’t seem aware of it though as she nodded towards the hogshead still in Emily’s grasp.  “Alright, disgusting hogshead of powder, check.  What next?”

“Act casual.”  Emily whispered from the side of her mouth, before flicking her eyes to the men she had since identified that hadn’t stopped following them despite turning down a side street.  Their eyes had hardly strayed from their persons even as one of them went up to a small fruit stand and pretended to examine the wares on display.  Idiots, or so she deemed them at least, but she had to give these people this much credit, they were good enough to be a danger.  They’d gotten close to her and Pike without them realizing it after all.

“Oh you, you're so hilarious!”  Pike said with a laugh that didn't quite reach her pretty blue eyes as she subtly glanced behind Emily's hip.  “Let's go get that drink!  And more if you're lucky....”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”  She’d feel a lot safer with the others around.  More importantly, the closer they got to the others, the less they’d have to travel to find anyone able to help them out when the fighting started.  And Emily wasn’t about to fool herself into thinking she’d be able to talk her way out of this, whatever  _ it  _ was.  “Any ideas as to why?”  She asked Pike, who she saw was tugging at her little earring at that particular moment.

“Jenga.  I repeat, jenga.  Anyone?” Pike softly whispered as she continued gently tugging at the earing.  “They must be out of range.  Damn, Vasselheim’s too damn big.”  Daring to glance at the men, of which Emily had counted three the last time she’d looked herself, Pike had to steady herself lest she speed up, giving away the fact they knew they were being pursued.  “As for why people would be following us?  It’d take awhile to go through the entire list.”

“Most likely scenario then.”  Emily replied, calmly, coolly.  This was something she was intimately familiar with, so she felt strangely comfortable despite the very dangerous situation.

“We've made just as many enemies as friends.  Thieves, murderers, cultists, demons, archfiends, dragons, take your pick.”

“So half the world wants you and VM dead, or worse.  I can work with that.”  It meant she didn’t have to restrain herself much when the fighting started, and another glance behind her told Emily that their increasing number of pursuers had started to close the gap.  They’d begun to get suspicious, so they weren’t amateurs.  That wasn’t good.

“Just stay calm.  We have to warn the others, first and foremost.”

“You do that.  I’ll work on thinning out the herd.”  Emily whispered before she stepped backwards unexpectedly into a thick cluster of people.  The next moment, the Empress had disappeared completely.

“Emily?  Emily, don't you dare pull a Vax!  Damn.”  Putting on an extra burst of speed, Pike continued to tap at her Whisper Earring, her free hand still locked tight around the hogshead, hoping someone would pick up the line.

From a nearby rooftop, Emily calmly watched as the frustrated cleric continued to lead her prey out into the open.  Having gotten a good look at their pursuers by this point, she quickly turned her gaze on the seven darkly clothed individuals, before her eyes flashed.  The pulse of her Dark Vision thrummed in her ears as the people she’d seen were conveniently highlighted when the pulse passed over them, visible and audible only to her senses.  What she saw however were not seven humans, but seven lizard like individuals.  As surprising as that little fact was, she hardly batted an eyelash, fully committed to the hunt now.  “Curiouser and curiouser.”

Determined to protect Pike and, to a lesser extent, the civilians around the cleric, Emily marked what she assumed was the leader of the group with Domino, before linking four more with a casual flick of her eyes over each one.  The faster she dispatched them, the faster they could regroup with the others.

Taking a calming breath, she pulled up her scarf and Far Reached across the gap in front of her, sticking to the rooftops for now.  She’d only have one shot, and she fully intended to make it count as she kept pace with Pike and the group on the ground.  She was patient, and there was still a far enough gap between the cleric and the monsters on her tail.  If anything, it was strange that they hadn’t closed the gap already.  It was then that it hit her, and she nearly tripped over her own feet.  The lizards  _ wanted  _ them to lead them back to the others!  It was the only reason why they hadn’t already attacked her and Pike, despite so many witnesses around them.

It made her snap decision that much easier as she perched on the edge of the roof.  Wishing she had one of those ingenious earrings, she did breathe a little sigh of relief when Pike glanced up in her direction, before continuing down the road she was standing above.  “Good girl.”  Emily mused, glad that they seemed to be operating on the same wavelength as she pulled her father’s sword, tensing herself for what she was about to do.  One shot was all she had, and it was all she’d ever need.

The feeling of weightlessness hit first as she launched herself off the edge and pointed her sword down towards the target she’d marked for death.  Sensing her presence, the disguised lizard paled when all he saw was a billowing blue coat open behind her like the wings of a dark bird before he felt the steel slide into his neck from the shoulder down to the inside of his chest.  He didn't even cry out as he dropped to the dirt, dead, along with his four closest companions.  The two that were left were utterly stunned as Emily rolled to her feet, blood coated blade held easily at her side, pointed to the ground.  They didn’t stay still for long when they saw the stun mine she’d tossed at their feet in the same movement.

The first arcs of raw electricity had them dancing and spasming on the spot.  Approaching the disabled lizards, she casually bent down and picked up the nearly spent stun mine, deactivating it with a casual flick of her thumb over the arming mechanism.  Putting it back on her belt, Emily took only a moment to plunge her blade into their necks.

Pike could only stare, amazed by the quick work Emily had made of their would be assassins.  “Well, that was certainly different.”  She managed to spit past her lips, still somewhat amazed into mild mental paralysis.  “If only Vax was half as effective.”

“That was fast and sloppy.”  Emily grunted in retort as she pulled out an old, blood stained rag from one her numerous belt pouches before doing her best to clean her sword.  “I don't like to kill unless necessary.  But they couldn't be allowed to wake and warn their cohorts.”

“You did the world a favor, trust me.”  Pike was quick to reassure her as she turned over the nearest of the disguised lizards, who were no longer disguised now that Emily looked down to the group as a whole.  “Magically disguised, before you ask, most likely a Seeming spell.  Lizards like these are notoriously evil and black hearted, more times than not aligning themselves with liked minded individuals.”

“Good.  I was afraid you were going to tell me they were monks on a holy pilgrimage or something equally innocuous.”  Finishing the task of cleaning her blade, she collapsed her sword and put it back on her belt before kneeling down to start going through the assassins’ pockets, hoping to find something to tell her who they were working for.  It didn’t take her and Pike long to find a note, although the language it was written in was completely alien to her.   


Pike took one look at the strange script once it was handed over, and visibly paled.  “It’s draconic.  Oh boy.”

“Why is that bad?”  Emily asked as she finished her search, finding little else except the occasional odd knick knack that had no meaning to her whatsoever.

It didn’t help Pike’s following question did nothing to improve her darkening mood.  “You want the long story or the short one?”


	6. Big Trouble In Old Vasselheim

**Chapter 6**

**Big Trouble In Old Vasselheim**

They found Percy and Keyleth first just as they were stepping out of a large stone building, and right into the waiting arms of several more disguised lizards, dressed in the same dark robes as the first batch had been.  Unlike the last group, these were ready as they pulled crossbows and stabbing weapons, prepared to end the duo where they stood.

“Uh, Percy, who did we piss off the last time-"

“Duck!”  Keyleth didn’t hesitate as Percy snap drew the pistol at his side just as the first crossbow bolt left its chamber.  The whistling projectile was drowned out by the thunderous boom of his gun.  While Keyleth ducked her head just in time to avoid being hit, her crown of antlers wasn’t so fortunate as the left side was snapped off at the base.  Percy had since riddled the offending lizard full of holes before realizing three things.  The first was that they weren’t human.  Two, that Keyleth’s face was going through the various stages of shock to a dark fury.

And finally three, that Pike and Emily were running towards them at a full sprint.  “Percy!  The city is full of disguised-"

“Yes, we know Pike!  Some assistance would be greatly appreciated!”  He needn’t have asked as Keyleth lost all pretense of being the humble druid, and became something monstrous in the next moment.  The four armed demon, rippling muscles and razor sharp teeth and claws, that now stood in her place, promptly charged forward, heedless of the bolts they shot at her or the swords they tried to bring to bear on her now thick hide.

“She really wasn't kidding about being gentle.”  Emily quietly noted as Keyleth, now a snarling, dark skinned monstrosity, picked up the first lizard between two hands before none too gently twisting his head off his shoulders.

“What?”  Pike asked, stunned by the display as Keyleth bashed aside a second, catching him in the stomach with her arm before he could stab her.

“Nevermind.”  Emily muttered as she skidded to a halt as Percival dispatched the last attacker with three rapid fire shots.  The wet squelch from the cauterized holes was all that she heard before the lizard fell to its back, a gaping, smoking crater where his right lung used to be.  She didn’t pay him a second glance, instead turning to the gunslinger as he began to quickly reload his gun.  “We don't have any time to lose.  Where are they?”

Holstering it with a practiced twist of his hand, Percy addressed the question as best he could.  “I’m rather curious as to who wants us dead this time, but you’re right.  The twins should be at the Platinum Sanctuary most likely.”

“Taryon and Grog could be anywhere though.”  Pike worriedly stated as Keyleth soon joined them, a little bruised but otherwise unhurt.  The sad gleam in her green eyes as she looked at her tattered crown and its missing horns though would have almost broke Emily’s heart under different circumstances.

“Follow me, I have a hunch as to where they might be.”  Percy offered as he began running towards the Quad Roads section of the city.

“Grog.  Grog!  Can you hear me?!”  Pike was just as much talking to her earring as she was yelling down the street.

She visibly sagged with relief when the goliath picked up on his end.  “Gah, what the hell Pike?  Yes, I hear ya.  Wearin’ one of the earrings ain’t I?”

“We’re being attacked, and they might be heading your way now Grog.”  Pike quickly explained.

“What who?!  Are you alright?!”  Emily heard the last few words for herself as a royally pissed off looking Grog burst out into the street several blocks ahead of them.

Emily stole a glance towards Pike, just in time to see the little smile flicker across her lips at Grog’s concern for her wellbeing.  “I see you, we’re close, we'll find them soon enough.  Just be careful.”

“Right, no one fucks with my Monsta.”  Grog growled menacingly as he charged forward, giant hammer in hand as Taryon and his clockwork soldier did their best to keep up.

“I say Jumbo, what is all the shouting about?”  Taryon groused with a wince as he clutched at a large wrapped package, dutifully followed as ever by a horribly disguised Doty.  Emily had to blink, temporarily flabbergasted by the sight of red hair clinging to the automaton’s faceplate.

It was only for a few seconds, but it was a few seconds too long.

“We’re bein’ attacked dumbass, that’s what!  Now- oh shit.”  Before they got close, a large fireball detonated in front of Taryon, Doty, and Grog.

“Grog!”  Pike and Keyleth screamed at the same time.  While Emily shared their concern for the goliath, she almost felt sorry for Taryon as they charged forward, her eyes having been drawn to a nearby rooftop.  There, movement, she had a place to start.

“Get them to safety!”  Emily commanded before using Far Reach to get to a better elevation.

“Get who to what now?!”  She nearly tripped once again when Grog’s gravely voice bellowed out.  Allowing herself a moment to look over her shoulder, Emily wasn’t the only one to see Grog was fine despite the thick smoke he was waving away with one hand, coughing and sputtering despite having been in the center of an explosion that should have left him maimed at the very least.  All it had done was make Grog smile, before his eyes started to glow and a thick foam gathered in his open mouth.  Growling and snarling, the titanic roar that fell from his mouth was enough to shake Emily’s bones.  The lizards that had since assembled in the street were practically shaking in their boots.

“Get the fuck down Ems!”  Emily didn’t even hesitate as she dropped to the roof the moment her feet touched the stone, and spun around to see another robed lizard fall dead with three daggers in his chest.  The daggers had passed right by her on either side of her head, but despite the close call, she gave Vax a quick nod of gratitude as he helped her up to her feet.  “You’re right on time for the shit show.”

“As always.”  She said with a smirk, before noticing something most decidedly different about him.  “....You have wings.”  Emily muttered in shock once she registered the black, giant raven wings sticking out of the half elf’s back.

“Tell you later.”  Vax promised as he drew the same, wicked and ornate dagger she’d seen upon waking up on that stone platform, and threw it at the nearest enemy on the ground.  When the dagger made contact with the lizard’s back, Vax disappeared only to appear just behind the lizard, a second dagger in his free that he wasted no time in drawing across its neck before casually yanking his first dagger free.

“Are you alright darling?  You look a little... paler than usual.”  Finally, Vex she could at least hand-

Emily turned to snap a biting retort at the ranger, only to discover that she was casually hovering above her on a witch’s broom.  To make it odder still, there was a six hundred pound grizzly bear in full armor, following close at her heel down the street with a dead lizard clamped firmly in its jaws.  “.... I don't think I can find the proper words to describe this delirium I've stumbled into.”

“Oh?  That’s a new one for me, but if you’re worried this is a fever dream,” Vex began before flying closer so that she could lean down, her lips hovering just by Emily’s ear, “maybe you should hope you don’t wake up?”  And just as quickly, Vex ‘accidentally’ slammed the back of her broom into her lower back as she took off, leaving Emily kissing the hard stone roof.

Pushing herself up, Emily muttered angrily to herself as she drew her pistol at a cheerful Vex.  While it was a feat of dexterity worthy of praise, the way the ranger flew her broom at the same time she fired her bow with uncanny accuracy, Emily was far too consumed with her less than silent debate if shooting her in the back would cause too much trouble.  “I could shoot her right now, and no one would notice.  Oh, terribly sorry Vax, she didn't see that robed bastard coming-”

Emily’s murderous ponderings came to a sudden halt as she noticed a lone robed figure, calmly whispering to themselves as they waved their hands about.  Before he could finish, she pulled her crossbow and fired, her hand a nearly imperceptible blur.  The banshee like screech that followed was not quiet as her Howling Bolt found a new home in the side of the robed monster’s neck, drawing everyone’s attention for a moment.

When it did, the wizard gave a single, hissing scream, before he promptly and mysteriously exploded on the spot.  It seemed he had dropped the fireball he’d been about to throw at his designated target.  All that remained was an ashy pile and a smoking crater in the ground to show where he’d been at all.

The huge armored bear charging down the street stopped to stare in confusion at what was left of his now smoldering prey.  While mere moments later, Vex nearly flew straight into the beast as she hopped off her broom and lovingly wrapped her arms around his neck.  “Trinket! Are you hurt?  Gods that was too close!”

“Little help here!”  Percy called out as he bashed the butt of the oversized rifle Emily had seen strapped to his back, into another lizard’s face before Keyleth opened the ground up underneath the robed assassin, promptly swallowing him whole.  There were still several more where that came from, and everyone else was too far away to help.

Emily was under no such restrictions.  Before the closest lizard could stab Keyleth in the back, something appeared just behind him in turn.  He didn’t get a chance to turn around before a sword erupted from the back of his head, jutting out from his open mouth.  At the other end of the sword, stood a near perfect copy of Emily Kaldwin.  Only the eyes were different, black and empty of anything resembling a human soul, being full of the Void that had spawned her.

“Thank you Emil- oh gods!  What happened to your eyes?!”  The Doppelganger Emily chuckled, and nodded to the rooftop where the real Emily stood, her arms crossed and her sword held loosely in one hand.  “Oh, well that answers that question.”  Percy muttered, still a little unnerved by the copy at his back, but he was able to put that aside as she took up a defensive stance, allowing him the time to clean his gun that had chosen a fine time to malfunction.

“More of her.  How wonderful.”  Vex muttered as she stopped babying Trinket and calmly shot one of the few remaining lizards in the head.

“As long as she’s on our side.”  Vax retorted, shrugging his shoulders as he jerked back and away from a foolish lizard that had charged at him with a pair of daggers of his own.  “Idiot.”  With that less than kind remark, Vax shot right up into the air just as his opponent tried to rush forward, blade leading.  Instead he hit nothing but air, allowing Vax a free shot to his back.  Unlike the lizard, the rogue didn’t miss his mark.

Emily had to admit, watching Vox Machina expertly fighting against superior numbers, that they were far more professional on the battlefield than she would have ever expected.  And while his own approach wasn’t very professional, or skilled, she had to admit that Grog, when she hazarded a glance in his direction, certainly made up for his lack of tactical thinking with sheer ferocity.

One lizard futilely tried to block the giant hammer with a shield, only to have it, and his head, split apart like so much rotten fruit.  “Hah!  Stupid smelly ass lizards!  Come on fuckers,  l wanna show ya what happens when you mess with my Pike!”  He didn’t disappoint as he grabbed a second, glanced at Pike just as she slammed her morning star into her opponent’s guts, and grinned wickedly.  “Hey Pike, swing away!”

“Oh!  One second!”  Pike cheered as she finished her fight and readied herself for the throw.  Grog spun like a top with the lizard grasped by his skinny throat, muffling any screams he’d have otherwise let loose.  When he’d picked up enough speed, he launched the makeshift ‘ball’ at the diminutive cleric.  The very loud, sickening crunch of bone was drowned out by the metallic thud of her weapon finding a new home in the lizard’s chest, pulverizing nearly every rib in the process.  “Striiiiiiiike!”

“Ha!  That’s my Pikey!”  Grog cheered in turn, pumping an arm into the air.

“It's creepy, just how disturbingly heartwarming they can be.”  Percival mused when he finished spinning at the strange double’s back to find no further robed attackers charging at them.  “Huh, that was….surprisingly shorter than I thought it’d be.  Surely they knew who we were or they wouldn’t have sent so few?”

He nearly jumped when the Doppelganger spoke as she passed by his right ear.  “They didn’t know I’d be here.”

“She’s got a point.”  Pike agreed even as Keyleth leaned away from the eerie copy.  Her visible discomfort wasn’t helped when the real Emily jumped down from the roof and sidled up the group.  “I think this was meant for us.”

Emily was about to reply, after dismissing her Doppelganger back to the Void, but a flicker of movement down the street caught her eye.  But just as quickly, whatever she’d seen had disappeared, leaving her wondering if she had seen anything at all.  Shaking her head, she kept her own counsel for now.

“What do you mean?”  Keyleth asked as she grimaced upon seeing the remains of a lizard hand stuck to her robes.  “Bleh.”  She moaned, mildly disgusted by the sight before shrugging her shoulder, only to realize one of its claws had pierced her forest green robes, ensuring it was stuck fast.

A quick, deft yank from Vax got rid of it easily enough.  “So, if only for poor confused Emily's sake, and sanity, shall we go through the list?”

“Later.  We have to get out of the open.  I highly suggest we head back to Whitestone immediately.”

“And I need to grab her hogshead anyway.  I left it a few streets back.”  Pike quickly explained before beckoning Grog to follow her.  “Come on Grog, it’s better we don’t go anywhere alone.”

“Well duh.  Even I know that.”  Grog rumbled in complete agreement.

Emily ran after the pair without a thought, only mildly surprised to find Keyleth and Percy alongside her, with the twins and Trinket close behind.    Taryon and his mechanical robot brought up the rear, the human strangely morose despite their resounding victory.  “It was over before I could do anything.  Oh well, there’s always next time I suppose.”

“You got blasted off your feet and were out cold the entire time Tarry.”  Grog shot over one large shoulder.  Taryon groaned as he slapped a hand over his face, confirming what most of the group had already suspected.

“Doty, stop writing everything!”  He snapped as he limped along after the group, before frowning up at his friend.  “Carry me will you?”  While Doty dutifully obeyed, easily lifting the so called adventurer, Emily once more had to wonder how this pathetic excuse of humanity had ever made it this far.

Their trip to Vasselheim went without further incident beyond the guards finally catching up with the group.  They answered their questions quickly, honestly, and were soon dismissed since they’d had plenty of witnesses that said the same thing.  It wasn’t until they had appeared back in Whitestone, stepping out of the Sun Tree with a slightly less reluctant Emily at the front of the line, that Vex remembered they were supposed to go clothes shopping for Keyleth’s coronation.  “Fuck!”

“Dearest, what's wrong?”  Percy, instantly at her side, promptly asked.

“I forgot about our damned dresses.  We got ambushed before we ever made it to a shop.”  Vex explained with a sigh and a huff as she kicked a stray branch.

“Oh.  Well we can always try to go back in the morning once Keyleth’s had a chance to rest.”  Percy offered with an apologetic shrug.

“And face gods knows how many more of those things?  You know what, fucking hell, I give up.”

“It’s fine Vex.”  Keyleth butted in and put an arm around the ranger’s shoulders, more to get her attention, but Emily wasn’t the only one that noticed how she leaned into the druid’s embrace.  “It was the thought that counted.  Besides, it’s not going to be that big of an event anyway.”

“It’s still important to you though….even if you are afraid of what might follow.”  Vex sighed before gently disentangling herself from Keyleth’s arm.  “I wanted to make it special.  Besides, how often do we ever dress up for anything?”

“I know, but I’m just happy we’re here at all.”  The choked laugh Vex let out as she quickly hugged Keyleth was more than enough for the druid to return the gesture, a soft, tender smile appearing on her face as they embraced.

Percy waited until they had pulled apart before clapping his hands together.  “So, who wants to get a drink and figure out just how doomed we are this time?”

A few minutes later saw them assembled around Whitestone’s dining hall, fresh drinks in hand as they lounged or sat properly at the long wooden table.  “A hundred gold it’s the fucking rakshasa.”  Vax grumbled out once he’d taken a hearty drink of his large glass of ale, slamming the glass down on the table hard enough to rattle everything around it.  “It’d be about right for that arsehole, although we did destroy him twice.”

“I think it might have been Raishan, you know, one last bit of spiteful revenge.  It certainly seems like something she would do.”  Keyleth pointed out, and when all eyes fell on her, Emily saw she didn’t wilt under their curious and expectant gazes.  “You remember she said she had followers?  Well, some of them might have come here, preparing to strike at us if we somehow destroyed her.”

“Which we _did_ do.”  Pike agreed reluctantly, more because she was afraid of the possibility that Keyleth was right, Emily guessed, than the actual threat presented by such a group of followers.

Percy jerked upright as an idea struck him, earning concerned glances from most of the party when he did.  “I just had a terrible thought.  What if it was Orcus, sending out his followers to deal with our, albeit minor, threat to him?”

“Oh sure, make me feel like an even bigger ass darling.”  Vex grumbled, promptly burying her head in her arms that she folded on the table before her.

Percy was quick to pat her on the shoulder before giving it a gentle squeeze.  “That wasn't my intent, but you have to understand dearest-"

“Just drop it.”  She growled before downing the last of her wine.  “This fucking sucks.  He might not be able to come back to our realm, but Hotis is still giving us trouble.  Or it might be that fucking dragon.  Or better yet, Orcus, because we don’t already have enough problems.  Wine me Grog.” Vex commanded as she held out her goblet to the goliath and his huge jug o’ wine.

“I don’t mean to ask the obvious question,” Emily began reluctantly as Pike brought her her hogshead full of blackpowder, nodding her thanks once it was nestled next to her on the table, “but would you mind explaining just who these people are that you’re talking about?”

“Quite right your Highness!”  Taryon exclaimed, before gesturing to the open book in Doty’s hands.  “I too would quite like to know what we might be facing in the foreseeable future.”

Instead of answering their questions, Percy perked right up when he saw the hogshead.  “Oh thank god, you saved me a trip to Victor’s shop after all.  May I buy some of that off you?”

Emily, for her part, was able to keep her sword hilt from appearing in her hand as Percy made to reach for the hogshead at her side.  The scathing, deadpan glare she leveled on him however, stopped him from getting any closer to her prize.  “After what I went through to get it?  You can go suck on a plague rat.”

Percy politely retreated before gesturing to the bundled powder.  “I'll give you five hundred gold for half, just for the pleasure of knowing I won't possibly die in a horrific explosion anytime soon.”

“Done.”  Emily replied as she suppressed a shudder that nearly ripped through her at the reminder of the state of Victor’s shop, quickly shaking on it and feeling quite happy with herself.  Not that she needed the extra gold all that badly, but the satisfying feeling of getting the better of an opponent never got old.  Her father might have denied it, but she knew he enjoyed their sparring matches, and he had yet to hide the little grin every time he came out ahead of one of their hard won mock fights.  Like father like daughter.

Once the transaction was concluded, with a promise to deliver his half of the hogshead as soon as she could, Emily gestured towards the group, hoping someone would explain things to her at last.  “Long story short, again,” Pike began as she took her seat by Grog once more, “the rakshasa is a demon named Hotis, and he’s a dangerous one.  We….might have pissed him off.”

“By we, Pickles means she and I are at the very top of his shit to do list.  I killed ol cat head the first time.  She did him in when he came for revenge against me a few months or so later.”  The shadow that passed over Vax’s face was hard to miss, and the little glances that were shared among them clued Emily into the fact that the demon hadn’t just appeared and tried to kill him.  He’d done something first to get close.  What that was she didn’t get to ask as Vax cleared his throat.  “A-anyway, he’s got a hate on for us because of it.”

“You did kind of trash his place of ‘business’ the first time.  And destroyed my fucking flying carpet while you were at it.”  Vex grumbled, a little tipsy from the wine she’d imbibed by now.

“Our, _our_ fucking flying carpet dear sister.”  Vax quickly corrected her.

“So Raishan?”  Emily asked, both to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand, and to stave off her own curiosity about this carpet they’d mentioned.

“I've got this one.”  Keyleth quickly chimed in, she too a little red faced and tipsy from the wine that had been handed to everyone.  “Dead dragon bitch probably planned for this ahead of time.  Which is surprising given how arrogant she was.  But again, long story short, Raishan was a crafty schemer who was _almost_ always ten steps ahead of us.  Until I Feeble Minded the bitch.”

“Powerful curse, it does what it says on the tin.”  Percy elaborated from the side of his mouth for Emily’s benefit.  “Without her vast intelligence or ability to string words together, Raishan became the still very powerful beast she already was in name, but she was without her vast arsenal of spells to rain destruction on us all, or to slip away yet again.”

“Clever.  You have to admire the irony of her death.”  Emily quietly noted, having a much deeper appreciation and respect for Keyleth after this latest revelation.

“Oh trust me, I did.”  Keyleth hissed between her teeth, before shaking her head, as if to try and shake off her bitter hatred for the dragon.

Vex was next up as she finished her newest glass of wine.  With a groan, she put her hands over her face, hiding herself and her obvious shame for whatever she’d done.  “And last, but far from least.... Fucking.  Orcus.  I should've just sacrificed my life for yours brother, it would have been far less of a headache.”

Vax’s simple response was to reach over and pull Vex’s head into his shoulder.  Shushing her, he decided to take over for her.  “Orcus, a hated enemy of the Raven Queen, shall we say, might have a legitimate reason to hate our guts.  Unfortunately, he’s an evil fucking undead prince of a god, so he naturally has a small legion of his own followers ready to die for him at a moment’s notice.”

Despite not fully comprehending just what they had stirred up, Emily wasn’t deterred as she crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat.  “Well, you're still here aren't you?  I'd call that a fair trade.”

“You might not say that if you knew just how fucked we truly are.”  Vex mumbled from her brother’s shoulder, all the strength having all but slipped away from her.

After every ridiculous, impossible thing she’d seen in the last few days, Emily couldn’t have sounded more disappointed in Vex’s despondent response if she tried.  “Funny, I didn’t take you for a quitter Vex’ahlia.”

“Well, there you have it darling.  Some things you just can't fight against and hope to win.”

Scoffing with open derision, Emily could only shake her head at Vex.  “As much as I'm at a loss to say it, I like the arrogant, sarcastic you more than the scared child I see before me.”

“Hey!  Why don't you fucking lay off a little Brandy?”

“Scared….child?”  Vex parroted dumbly.

“Why?  Because the chances of success suddenly seem astronomical?  What happened to the warriors I saw take down a small army of lizards in a manner of minutes?”  Emily snapped back, her brown eyes alight with every bit of indignation and disappointment she could muster for the twins.  “I might not understand just what you’re talking about-”

“So sh-”  Vax began.

Only for Emily to roll right over him as if he hadn’t even spoke.  “But I will not stand by and keep silent when you obviously need a swift kick to the arse.”  Remembering the note she’d found, Emily threw it to Vex who caught it upon instinct.  “You can start by not feeling sorry for what you lost to save your brother’s life, and be grateful for what you still have.  Good night, I'm suddenly not in a drinking mood.”  The scrape of her chair across the stone was the only sound in the hall as Vox Machina, new and old members alike, watched Emily walk out of the room.  The collective opinion of everyone was that they had just been royally brow beat into getting their shit together.

“Ugh….maybe she’s right.”  Vex grumbled, putting her head back into her hands.  “I hate even saying it though since I can’t stand her guts right now, but she’s….okay I guess.”

“I like her too, but that doesn't mean she gets to treat you like shit.”  Vax grumbled, a hand still resting on his sister’s shoulder.

“Figures, she was smart enough to loot her enemies... And she takes a piece of paper.”  Vex grumbled as she picked up the note, flipping it over before tossing it onto the table in front of her.

“Not to put too fine a point on it,” Taryon began as he nodded to the note, “but that might be vital intelligence for all we know.”

“Oh come on Taryon, do you really think-”  Vex snarked as she unfolded the note to read it over.  With the way her face lit up with a mixture of surprise and annoyance, the group had a feeling Taryon might have been right on the money, for once.  “Son of a bitch.”  Vex spat out once she’d read it through its entirety.

“That good?”  Vax quipped dryly.

“If by ‘good’ you mean we have Thordak worshipers wanting our heads on spikes, then yes, it’s bloody perfect.”  Reading it over again, Vex’s lips turned down into a frown.  “That’s odd.”

“Really?  The note on a dead man who was trying to kill us?” Keyleth asked, sounding equally dubious about it as Vex, although for entirely different and not so subtle reasons.

“No, it's strange, what it says I mean.  It mentions something called ‘The Void’  and an exile, or outcast,  something like that.”

“What?”  Percy gasped, before he began to rummage through his pockets.  A triumphant shout and he pulled out a book not too dissimilar from the one that Emily had taken from him the other day.  “Where is it, where is it?”  He muttered as he flipped through page after page, before he stopped and read aloud a page he had marked.  “Ah hah!  I knew I’d heard that name before.  And it’s the Outsider…..oh fuck me.”  He groaned as he realized the implications of what he’d just discovered.  “How much are you willing to bet if the Raven Queen is involved in all this, that this ‘outcast’ wants you dead Vax?”

“What?!”  Vex growled out while the rest of the group looked towards them with various levels of alarm.

“Nice going Percy.  I thought we said we wouldn’t mention her strange dream?”  Vax grumbled darkly in response to Percy’s blabbering.

“I said I wouldn’t mention her encounter with the Raven Queen until it became important.”  He stated sternly, his gaze unwavering as he locked eyes with the rogue.  “It just became _very_ important.”

“That explains why I found her by the shrine at least.”  Pike replied quietly.  “She wanted to learn more about the Raven Queen.  And we just happen to have an expert.”

“Give me that damn thing.”  Vex hissed and snatched the book Percy had created thanks to the contents of Emily’s travel log.  Flipping through it, Vex slowed when she stumbled across something that twisted her heart into knots.  “Oh gods….her own mother….she gave up her own mother’s spirit to stop this Delilah we’ve only heard snippets about?”

“That’s fucked up....”  Vax muttered uncomfortably, his entire view of Emily shifting in one instant.

“To be fair, it was a good thing she did from what I’ve memorized of it all.”  Percy replied softly, his intent all too clear on his face.  He respected and was in agreement with her choice.  “It was not an easy choice for her, she even goes at length later as she’s heading back to her home of Dunwall to say it was probably the hardest thing she ever did.  But as far as I can tell, it was entirely necessary in order to end Delilah’s reign of tyranny. ”

“No wonder she’s so screwed up.”  Grog rumbled, surprising everyone with his surprisingly astute observation.  He shrugged when he noted their stares.  “What?  Think about it.  Her mom got killed when she was ten.  She saw it happen, she said so herself.  So now, suddenly, she has to lead, be the big bad Empress we’ve come to know.  And then, at the end of it all, she has to give up what's most precious to her in the world.   _Again_.”

“And suddenly so much makes perfect sense to me.”  Keyleth muttered quietly, utterly floored by Grog’s impressively deep analysis of the woman.

“Dammit.  Now I definitely can’t hate her.  Not for having the strength to do something we never could.”  Vex muttered as she wiped at her eyes and caressed her brother’s shoulder.

And just as quickly, Vax’s entire opinion about the Empress shifted one hundred and eighty degrees as he grasped his sister’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.  “She's tougher than you think, but I'm sure, deep down, she's hurting just like the rest of us.  Em’s just gotten better at hiding it is all.”

“She’s had to,” Pike began, strangely quiet and somber for a change, “if she’s been through all that.  Some of what she’s told me earlier also makes a lot more sense now.”

“So.  What are we gonna do about it?”  Grog asked, arms crossed across his wide chest, his half empty mug of ale within easy reach, forgotten for now as he stared towards his friends.

“I have an idea or two.”  Taryon stated, surprising everyone for the second time by the strangely humble note in his voice.

“It would be best if we did nothing for the moment.  Give her time.  But, above all, she must not know about that.”  Percy muttered, pointing to the book in Vex’s hands.  “It's bad enough she knows I stole all of her secrets, but if she knew I so flippantly cast open her life to all of you, it might very well destroy her.  I can certainly sympathize.”

“There’s an easy fix for that then.” Where Cassandra had been hiding that whole time, Percy couldn't say, but before he could sputter a response to her sudden appearance, she snatched the book off the table.  It was then they saw the lit candlestick in her other hand, but before she put the book to the flame, she gave one, deeply disappointed look to her brother.  “I expected better from you most of all.”

“Wait!”  Vex said as she hurriedly stood to her feet.  “Darling, don't be so hasty!  If Percival is right, there could be information in there we can use against this ‘Outsider’!  We need that if he means my brother harm!”  Vex couldn't stop the involuntary action as she reached for a quiver that wasn't there.  And finding nothing, the ranger started to lunge towards Cassandra as her hand found the hilt of a dagger she kept in her boot.

“Vex’ahlia!”  Vex froze since it was a cold day in Hell that Vax ever used her full name outside of certain situations.  That he deemed this a necessary occasion was perhaps the more shocking as Vax slowly stood, a hand finding her shoulder that slowly slid to the back of her neck.  “We’ll find another way sister.”  He promised, pulling her close so that his forehead was touching hers.

“You can start by not taking the easy way forward.”  Cassandra replied softly as she stepped back, away from Vex on the off chance she tried going for the book again, before she began to feed the edge of the copied travel log to the small flame.  “ _Talk_ to her about him, about all of this.”  It didn’t take long before there was nothing left but ashes scattering through the dining hall, taking everything that had been carefully written down with it.

Percy couldn’t meet his understandably upset sister’s gaze once the deed was done and there was nothing left.  That he agreed completely with her most definitely helped to fuel his personal shame.  “I'm sorry Cass.  It... seemed like a prudent course of action at the time.”

Walking to his side, Cassandra put a hand on his shoulder.  “I know, you big idiot.”


	7. Vexing R&R (Or Release and Relaxation)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, the first of hopefully a few smutty scenes appear in this chapter. DEFINITELY not safe for work, but it's pretty vanilla beyond that. An official apology will come later, but this first post argument 'conversation' is in typical Vex fashion lol. Critters will be able to pick right up on what's happening and why, but I hope our non Critter fanbase will be able to figure it out. Enjoy in either event!

**Chapter Seven**

**Vexing R &R (Or Release and Relaxation)**

Emily sighed tiredly, exhausted in so many ways as she laid back in the large ornate tub.  She could already feel the steaming hot water slowly relaxing away the aches and pains in her body.  If only she could have ended even a few of her days on the run basking in such delectable luxury.  As it was, she needed this after that debacle she’d left in her wake.  Emily was able to admit that she had no idea what was normal for these people, let alone what they were capable of beyond a few snippets during the fight in Vasselheim, yet she still hadn’t been able to keep her mouth shut.  It seemed laying ruin to all that she touched was becoming a regular habit.

“First to fight, first to soak and sulk, eh darling?”  Emily almost jumped when Vex, completely bare except for the towel she was carrying around her shoulders, strolled right over and casually slid into the tub.  “Ahh... that's much better.”  She murmured in contentment, letting the towel fall over the side of the tub, pooling uselessly on the floor just out of reach.

“If you don't mind, this particular bath is already spoken for.”  Emily politely managed to inform the half elven woman through gritted teeth, gesturing towards the door.  The view might have been nice under very different circumstances, but she wasn’t in the mood after what had happened in the dining hall.  She felt guilty enough without adding to her copious pile of sins.

“That’s alright darling, I don't mind at all.”  Vex purred before giving Emily a wink and making herself more comfortable.

She was less polite this time, as Emily narrowed her eyes and growled out two little words.  “Get out.”  While she might have felt guilty, Emily didn’t like that Vex had so casually strolled in and taken up half the tub without so much as an invitation.

To make it worse, Vex was all too happy to refuse the order.  “Sorry, afraid I can't do that quite yet.”

“Oh really?  Perhaps I'll just throw you out on your bare arse then.”  How she hadn’t already done so Emily had yet to figure out.  Or rather, she refused to openly acknowledge it, especially with this impossibly infuriating woman not five feet away.

“That’s one option....”  Vex admitted with a smirk as she slowly moved towards a now increasingly wary Emily.  “Please, at least hear me out before you throw me out?”

“Al-alright.”  Emily grudgingly agreed, still uneasy at the elf’s uncomfortably close proximity, _half elf_ , she mentally corrected herself, but she wouldn't make a move to do anything until she had a reason.  At least beyond mere annoyance at having the ranger barge in uninvited of course.  “Well?  On with it then. What the hell is so important Vex?”

Much to her relief, the soaking wet ranger merely squeezed in next to her and sat back, pondering her answer.  Try as she might, Emily couldn’t quite keep her eyes focused on Vex’s face as they automatically flicked towards the drops of water that ran down her neck and over the ranger’s half submerged breasts.  Thankfully, Vex began speaking again, pulling her attention back up to her more annoying features.  “So here's my problem Emily, I _can_ call you Emily, right?”

“Yes...?  Everyone else here does.”  It was what she preferred anyway, but that led to thoughts she’d been entertaining too often as it is.  So Emily pushed them aside before they could go round and round yet again.  Not that it was difficult, Vex’s presence helped provide a very good distraction, even if her presence wasn’t entirely welcome.

“Splendid!”  Vex cheered, her face brightening as her smile widened at the same time.  “Anyway, my problem is with you.  Specifically your performance in our delightfully terrifying little skirmish today.”  That smug little smile might have disappeared, but the amusement in the Vex’s damnably attractive twinkling brown eyes was still all too easy to see.

“Vex....”  Emily muttered, sighing as she rested her head against the tub’s edge.  “You truly are named well.  And as for your opinion of just how badly I screwed the cock today, you can shove it up your arse and kindly take it with you out of my pleasant bath.”  She wasn’t talking about the fight, that much Emily was sure of.  At least, she wasn’t talking about _just_ the fight they had survived in Vasselheim.  One thing she’d noticed with Vex, she didn’t come out and say what was bothering her.  She went around in circles first before eventually, and at times very suddenly, coming to the main point.  Emily was not in the mood to deal with such a roundabout process of getting to the matter at hand.

“You misunderstand dear.”  The amused note in Vex’s voice was no longer present, but it was the very close proximity of her lips by her ear that had Emily’s full attention.  “I don't want to lecture you, I want to _thank_ you.”  Looking to the woman’s face, Emily was surprised to see she was no longer smiling.  She’d almost say she looked downright vulnerable, something she wouldn’t have expected from the normally very vexing archer.  “Too many close calls have….let’s just say they haven’t made for many good nights lately.”

Temporarily forgetting her annoyance, Emily blinked owlishly, having no idea on how to properly address that.  “Oh.  Well, I'm touched, truly.  But I'm reasonably sure I only did what any of your friends would have done in my place.”

“Perhaps, but I’m not blind Emily.”  Vex began just as Emily felt fingers slowly begin to walk up the length of her arm.  “I know we haven’t exactly gotten along, but you still saved Pike’s life, and Percy’s, without a second thought.”

“It helps I cheated slightly and used one of my Doppelgangers.  The look on Percival's face was rather enjoyable.”  She replied, but her attempt to downplay the rescue with humor didn't seem to be working.

And try as she might to deny it, the warm fingers slowly walking up her arm began to send pleasant chills down the base of her spine.  “But then you just had to go and save poor Trinket as well.  I especially liked the part where you blew up that awful lizard mage.  Was that a Howling Bolt you used?  Certainly earned the name, darling.”  Vex purred in her ear, slowly brushing her lips against her neck.  While her other hand drifted lower and brushed against the flat of her stomach, slowly drawing out increasingly potent pleasure induced chills through Emily’s skin.

It’d been a long time since anyone had touched her in this way.  Wyman had been a new, but welcome, addition to her bed.  She might have even fallen in love with him in time, but his business had often taken him far from Dunwall for weeks, sometimes months at a time.  Even her evenings spent with Alexi, a friend she missed dearly, had been rare and far between.  So Vex’s surprisingly gentle touch, especially after so very long, was welcome, if most definitely unexpected.  “O-oh, that, that was nothing.  Worst case, he would have just puffed back into your magical necklace thing right?”

“It's the thought that counts darling....  Now, I need you to do something for me.”  Vex huskily told her, a hint of a devilish smile pulling at her lips.  “You can either tell me to go....”  Vex pouted ever so slightly as she continued to gently caress her stomach, the hand that had been on her arm having since migrated to the back of Emily’s neck.  “Or you can spread those beautiful legs for me.  Your choice darling.”

Emily couldn’t count the many times had she chosen to be the Empress over the woman she was behind the seemingly cold veneer such a title carried with it.  It would have been a simple matter to refuse Vex’s advances, but after such an honest and bold invitation with everything that had already occurred, Emily just didn’t have it in her to say no.  She wanted, _needed_ to feel like an ordinary woman again, not the ruthless assassin she’d nearly become.

The wolfish smile Vex gave her was all the encouragement Emily required as she dared to lean closer, brushing her lips against the ranger’s. However, an imposing finger against her lips  stopped the Empress in her tracks, as did the large smile that once more spread across Vex’s face.

If she’d been more perceptive, she might have seen the sadness that flickered in Vex’s eyes.  But it was there and gone so quickly that it might as well have never existed as Vex ran that finger along Emily’s lips.  “Sorry darling, that's not how this is going to work.  I know you probably want us to gently make love, and then have a nice, long afterglow cuddle.  I on the other hand,” Emily let out a surprised moan as Vex deftly lowered her hand and slipped two fingers into her already slick womanhood, “simply want to see your face light up as I make you squirm and moan and beg me for more.  Percy can tell you how determined am I to get what I want, I do it to him all the time.”

“Th-that's n-not fair....”  Emily groaned sharply, already feeling that familiar needful ache in the pit of her stomach as Vex’s fingers began their glorious work within her.  The half elven woman was slow but insistent, taking her time in working her up to the inevitable conclusion that always followed in such situations.  And Emily didn’t fucking mind in the least, despite her weak protest to the contrary.

“All’s fair in fucking and war darling.  Just ask Thordak.”  Vex mused as she firmly pressed her thumb against the noblewoman’s hardening clit and started making gentle circling motions. “Oh right, you might find that rather difficult these days.  My brother stabbed him in the back.”  She added as an amused afterthought.

“Th-that doesn’t surp-prise me.”  Emily managed to get out between the soft, almost pleading moans Vex had begun coaxing out of her.  Who knew she was so skilled with those fingers of hers?  And despite the callouses and grooves from working a bow string for as long as she had, Vex’s fingers were still quite adept.  The sharp bite of teeth against her throat derailed Emily’s thoughts as a surprised gasp escaped her, but she wasn’t there yet.  Too much more of that though, of Vex’s lips nipping at her neck and those fingers still buried in her folds, and it’d be over before they’d gotten properly started.

Clucking her tongue, Vex grinned up at her even as she sucked on the woman’s beautifully pale, slender neck.  “Tsk, tsk, Empress, if you continue to insult my brother's honor, I might just have to leave you wanting....”  She softly whispered, slowly pausing her dexterous simultaneous stimulation, giggling at the needful whimper that got out of Emily.  “And unsatisfied.”  But just as quickly, Vex returned to running her lips along Emily’s sensitive neck, while her fingers and thumb picked up the pace against her smooth mound.  “That’s it darling, shh, enjoy it, I'm not _quite_ that cruel.”  She finished her reassurance by moving her lips to Emily’s ear again, except now those soft lips were latched onto the sensitive lobe.

“Y-you aren’t t-that vexing after al-Mmmm.”  Emily chuckled, before she found her lips occupied by the beautiful ranger’s mouth.  Feeling her hot, wet tongue against her own, the Empress melted into the kiss that was surprisingly sweet and tender for all of Vex’s promises to make her beg. 

If anything, the raven haired half elf doubled her efforts as Emily groaned wantonly into their passionate kiss.  Finally breaking away from her, Vex happily licked at her lips as she wrapped her other arm around a nearly shaking Emily’s arching back and held her close.  “That's it, shhh, don't you _dare_ feel embarrassed, cum for me Emily.  Cum all over those talented fingers of mine.”

“V-Vexxx!” Emily screamed in ecstasy, all thoughts of propriety abandoned,  instinctively grasping at the elf’s shoulders, nipping at her pointed ear as she rode out the exquisite storm, the waves of pleasure continuing to crash and roll over her as she held on to Vex for dear life.  Vex’s fingers that had found a new home in her hair were soft and tender as she slowly uncurled herself from the half elf’s side, before seeing the pair of fingers Vex held before her lips, like a succulent treat she was offering rather than the same fingers that had been inside her just moments ago.

Vex cooed approvingly as Emily slowly licked those fingers clean, their eyes meeting just inches apart.  “Hunter takes Empress, dear.”

Once she was finished joyfully shaking, Emily’s brown eyes slowly regained some of their earlier luster, no longer darkened by her arousal as she peered challengingly into Vex’s smug, victorious grin.  “Not on my chessboard.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”  Vex chortled teasingly, her thumb and forefinger returning to tracing Emily’s lips again.  “I’d almost forgotten what it’s like to have such a fun time with quite the beautiful woman such as yourself.”  Vex purred once she had pulled her fingers away.  “So, I think my job’s done here.  Pleasant dreams, Empress.”

The tendril of Void stuff that wrapped around Vex’s waist in the same span of breath said otherwise.  “Not quite.”  Emily replied, her brown eyes alight with mischievous delight at having utterly taken Vex by surprise.  “Did you really think I’d just lay back and let you have all the fun Vex’ahlia?  You don’t know me very well then.”

“I figured you might say that, but I have to say, I wasn’t expecting this.”  She purred, and waved a hand towards the tendril around her naked torso.  The slightly fearful discomfort in the dark haired archer’s eyes, now that she was paying full attention again, had Emily nearly dissipating her tendril on the spot even as Vex tried to downplay her fear.  “Not that I don't trust you, I do, really, but maybe we could forego the, um, more creative ideas you may have in mind?”

“I was merely making a point.”  Emily reassured her, and just as easily, dispelled the shadowy tendril by closing her fingers of her branded hand.  Try as she might however, Vex couldn’t disguise the slight fear that had filled her eyes at being bound, but Emily didn’t comment on it.  She knew that Vex would simply deny it anyway.  Emily felt compelled however, to make one thing clear as her hands went up to Vex’s cheeks, cupping them gently between her palms.  “I do appreciate this, what you’ve done here, but I’d be remiss in letting you leave without returning the favor in some form.”

“Oh really, darling.  You let me take you apart piece by piece and turn you into a quivering helpless mess.  That's all the entertainment I need for one night.”  Even as the words left her mouth however, Vex made no move to leave Emily’s comforting embrace as she turned and kissed the pad of her right thumb, her eyes never leaving the human’s pretty face.

“Sadly, that just won't do Vex.  Honor demands more of me I'm afraid....”  The little husky whisper Emily let out had Vex’s insides quivering pleasantly.

Not that she was about to tell Emily that, especially with what had motivated Vex to come here in the first place.  “Well, we could just keep this between us and your honor then.”

The gentle hold on her face turned more firm, trapping Vex where she rested but not uncomfortably so.  Besides, the determined, desire filled gleam in those brown eyes made it hard to argue for the normally talkative ranger.  “You aren’t leaving this room until I taste you on my tongue, little elf girl....”  And that husky, commanding tone was already doing quite wonderful things to Vex’s insides.

“W-well,” Vex quivered, having rarely come across anyone that could make an order sound so alluring, “I wouldn't want to be rude _your highness_.  I only ask that you be gentle....”

“Request noted, and denied.”  Emily whispered right into one shapely pointed ear before she took the tip of it between her lips, earning a shuddering gasp from the normally controlled and cocky Vex.  It didn’t help that her hand had since glided down to Vex’s breasts, where Emily gently twisted and pinched a nipple until it was hard as a rock before moving to the other one.  “But you’re welcome to keep voicing your grievances to the Crown.  I might even hear them out.”  The only thing she wanted to hear was Vex screaming her name, but the fun little scenario she had started up without conscious thought was oddly, very arousing for the Empress as she continued to work her own form of magic upon the ranger’s body.

“Yes, Empress, thank you for your graciousness.”  How she kept her voice steady, Vex had no idea, nor did she particularly care as those wonderful fingers moved lower, fluttering across her toned, muscle packed stomach.  Lower still, they ran down one thigh, a thumb grazing across the petals of her sex, before going back up to her stomach.  “I get the f-feeling you’ve done this before.”  Vex quivered, getting the distinct impression she was being played like a musical instrument, and she found she didn’t mind the idea at all.

Having taken lessons on the harp and the violin as a child, Vex’s thought wouldn’t have been far off, even if Emily’s hands felt far more content with a crossbow and a sword in them rather than the strings of an ornate harp.  But such skill had its uses, as Vex was about to find out.  “Mmm, I grow tired of your petty compliments.”  Emily gave Vex her best sneer as she firmly, but carefully, lifted the half elf out of the water, resting her ass against the lip of the tub.  The sloshing water around them went unheeded as Emily seated Vex on the rim of the tub.  “Here, grab the side, it's slippery, I don't want you to-"

“I'm sorry, who are you again?  That didn't sound very _commanding_ or _regal_ to me.”  Despite the teasing remark, Vex secured herself as best she could on the slippery tub’s edge, her butt hanging off the edge with her legs draped on either side of the Empress’s body.

She couldn’t the snicker escaped her before Emily could stifle the laugh, but she recovered quickly as she mock glared up into Vex’s smug grin.  “Very well, time to show you your proper place, elf girl.”

“I don’t know about that darling, I’m not the one on my kn-eek!”  The half squeal, half moan was out before Vex could prepare herself as Emily playfully nibbled at her clit, her teeth clamping down gently around the sensitive bundle of nerves.  From there it was a simple matter to run her tongue’s tip over Vex’s most pleasure filled flesh.  “Oh, lesson learned, I'll be a good little elf girl for you from now on....”

The cool rush of air as Emily pulled away left Vex the one whimpering this time, but not for long as Emily firmly kissed and sucked at her quivering folds, running her tongue quickly across the ranger’s slit before giving Vex a much slower, tender caress that left the woman groaning.  Fingers entangled themselves in the Empress’s short, beautiful locks, holding her in place but allowing her to move as she wished.

The slow, firm licks to her nether regions picked up pace and depth, encouraging Vex to cry out, her head thrown back as she approached that delicious parchment thin edge between eternal torture and pleasure.  “Oh f-fuckkk!  Right there!  Yes, yes don't you fucking stop!”

With an internal sigh of disappointment, Emily paused and scowled up at a panting Vex.  “I don't find your tone-Mhmmmppphh!"  She moaned in pleasant surprise as Vex unceremoniously shoved her head back between her legs.

“What part of- oh fuck yesss!  D-don’t stop, don't you f-fucking sto-ppppggghh?!” It was Vex’s turn to gasp as she felt a pair of lips firmly overtake hers.  Opening her eyes, she was met with a familiar if black eyed gleam of mischief and gut twisting desire, except Emily had never moved.

Her Doppelganger wasn’t so restrained however.  A quick glance at the branded hand on her thigh revealed that eerie, cold gray glow Vex distantly recognized as a sign that Emily was using her strange abilities.  As such, her shadowy mirror smiled wickedly as a hand ran up to her cheek, before cupping Vex’s chin firmly in her’s? it’s? grasp.  “I told you, I don’t like your tone little elf girl.”  With a breathy moan, her other hand cupped Vex’s breast, mercilessly pinching her nipple between her thumb and forefinger while the real Emily continued to mercilessly devour her.

Another smugly pleased looking Doppelganger appeared, wasting little time in sucking a nipple between her lips, lavishing the ranger’s breast with her tongue while the first continued to squeeze and fondle the other.  The heated lips that ran along her ear, cheek, and eventually her throat were numbing what little remained of Vex’s brain that hadn’t already been overwhelmed by the incredibly skilled tongue between her legs.

“It’s time to let go.”  Which Emily was talking?  Did it matter?  Vex quickly realized that she didn’t much care as she was quietly encouraged to climax.  “Cum, cum for me now Vex’ahlia.  Your Empress commands it.”  That, for some reason, was what broke the last vestige of Vex’s resistance as she tried to delay her pleasure for as long as possible.  That thin thread of resistance however, snapped as sure as the bowstrings she’d broken over the years, and Vex nearly fell off the edge of the tub as her fingers dug into Emily’s scalp.  If not for the Doppelgangers holding her upright, she might have very well toppled to the floor as she screamed and groaned breathlessly to the ceiling, every nerve in her body singing harmonically in glorious rapture.  For all of her talk of having Emily on her knees, Vex had begun to realize she was most definitely not in charge anymore.

The shadowy duo held her firmly as she continued to orgasm, with Emily showing no sign of relenting as Vex realized she was being brought right back up to a second, mind numbing release.  That insistent, wonderful tongue had hardly slowed in its ministrations, and those pretty brown eyes were drinking in every twitch and breathless moan that escaped Vex’s lips.  “I didn’t say I was done with you, did I?”  The shadowy entity at her right breathed into Vex’s ear, right before those skilled fingers found a new home at her clit.  Between Emily’s tongue and her shadow’s fingers, it was only a few seconds longer before Vex was panting heavily once more.  The Doppelganger on her left picked up where the right left off, her mouth mere centimeters away from her pointed ear.  “What was it you told me earlier?  You wanted me to beg for more?  Beg me Vex, plead and moan for me now.  And you will be justly rewarded by your Empress.”

She wasn’t ware of it, but Vex had slipped into elven as she ran her fingers through Emily’s hair, although whether she was trying to push her away or pull her closer was hard to say.  “I didn't m-mean it!  Please, I-I oh gods!  I'm sorryyyy!”

“Shhh, it's alright, this is just me making another point now.”  She cooed softly, both of her Doppelgangers speaking as one, but Emily decided to take some measure of mercy and pity on the woman she had reduced to screaming in another tongue altogether.  She didn’t understand a word of it, but she could guess what Vex had said well enough as she slowed down, allowing the last orgasm she gave the ranger to be far softer and gentler, before bringing her down from that high point by letting her collapse into her Doppelgangers’ gentle embraces.

Covered in sweat, vision blurry, world spinning wonderfully, Vex found herself wrapped in a warm towel with Emily, the real Emily, running a hand tenderly across her cheek.  Vex took a moment to recompose herself as she saw they had somehow made it to a bed, or rather she was willing to bet Emily had carried her in the few moments she’d been _very_ pleasantly disoriented.  “Okay.... that was just... _wow_.”  Vex chuckled sheepishly, nuzzling into Emily’s hand before leaving a quick peck on the Empress’s wrist.

“It’s….been a long time since I’ve done anything like that, and never with my powers.”  Emily admitted, tired but satisfied despite the slight guilt she felt about how she’d taken complete control of their time together.  “I...am a bit sorry, about the last-”

“Don’t,” Vex commanded, and once more put a finger to Emily’s lips, “you didn’t do anything I didn’t ask for, or quite possibly deserved for that matter.”  Emily frowned curiously at that, but Vex didn’t let her ponder it.  “But I might have to share you with Percy if that’s what you’d like to do for an encore.”

Despite everything they’d just done, Emily felt her cheeks turn a shade of red that would have put Keyleth’s hair color to shame.  “I well, I don't know about that.  But thank you... I haven't felt that alive in quite some time.”

“I imagine not.”  Once more Emily saw, despite the dim light, a sadness flicker through Vex’s eyes, but it disappeared too fast for her to ask about it.  “Don't take this as an insult,”  Vex confessed as she let out a satisfied little laugh, “or perhaps it's more of a compliment, but I can barely keep my eyes open darling.”

“Oh, of course.”  Emily chuckled warmly before pulling the towel off of them, tossing it aside, and pulling the blankets up without further preamble.  “No surprise really, I did wear you out rather thoroughly, if I do say so myself.”  She smugly admitted as she pulled the blankets tighter around them.

“And I enjoyed every second of it dear.”  Vex murmured, her eyes already closing as she nestled into the inviting crook of Emily’s shoulder.

“I'm just curious about one thing, what exactly were you screaming at the end?”  Emily asked once Vex had gotten comfortable.  “I assume that's what elvish sounds like coming from a highly distracted beautiful half elven woman.”

Vex snorted and smirked playfully at the overly curious Empress curled up against her side.  “Highly distracted is right, but yes, that was elvish.  Very bad, very naughty elvish, but elvish.  I probably would have turned my asshole father’s hair white if he’d heard that, more’s the pity he didn’t.”

“Would you teach me?”  The question caught Vex completely by surprise as her tired brown eyes snapped open.

“What?  Really?”  Vex gaped.

“You already know I have a talented tongue,” again Vex snorted but nodded at that assessment, but Emily’s touch to her cheek was more than enough to tell her she was dead serious, “but I don’t ask for something without meaning it, Vex’ahlia.”

“Consider your first three lessons bought and paid for then, darling.”  Vex replied, that mischievous, encompassing grin spreading across her face, before leaving one last, far more chaste kiss on the side of Emily’s beautiful lips.  “Now get some rest, _we_ have a coronation to attend tomorrow.”  Then, mere moments later, Vex passed out, exhausted, contented, and feeling surprisingly safe and warm in Emily’s arms.

It did leave Emily in the rather strange position of being unable to escape easily, but she contently realized that she didn’t mind her current predicament too terribly much.  As she settled in for what was quite possibly going to be the most pleasant night’s sleep she had in a very long time, Emily closed her eyes with a soft, contented sigh, enjoying the warmth Vex’s lithe body provided.  But far more importantly, she took comfort from having Vex here, _wanting_ her, despite what had been said between them.

\----------------------------------

“So…..”  Percy mused innocently as Vex and Emily tried, and failed miserably, to enter the main hall as if they hadn’t spent the night together.  “Did you two have fun last night?”  He took far more enjoyment from their startled expressions than he should have, as he helped himself to a mug of coffee from the generous spread that had been left for them.

Emily was the first to offer a surprised gasp when she realized too late they weren’t alone.  It didn’t help that all of her courtly training and propensity for hiding her thoughts, utterly deserted her.  “What?!  I mean, yes, Vex is a very talented guide.  Your home is quite lovely Lord De Rolo.”  She was quick to say, and while it took a great deal of effort, she just managed to keep her voice steady as she put on the public mask that she presented to those of her court on a regular basis.

“Ah, no doubt showing you all those nooks and crannies my sister must have missed.”  It wasn’t fooling Percy, but he was happy to keep up the charade as Vex nervously started shuffling from foot to foot.  “Marvellous.  Tell me, has Vex shown you the greenhouse yet?  It's quite the sight.”

“No she failed to….mention that.”  Emily replied sheepishly, knowing full well that their goose was pretty well cooked when she noted the amused grin spreading across Percy’s handsome face.  “Will I be able to get out of this with what’s left of my dignity intact?”

“Yes, but I was enjoying the charade your Highness.  Feel free to keep digging the hole though if it makes you feel better.”  Percy replied, his blue eyes all but shining with delight by now once he’d been called out.  “It'll be the perfect spot for our non existent greenhouse.”

“What gave us away you cheeky bastard?”  Vex asked once she realized they weren’t about to be torn new assholes.

Percy giggled into his coffee cup as he sat down at the table, all too happy to tell them.  “Dearest, even at our most debaucherous, I don't believe I've _ever_ seen you look quite so glowingly guilty.  If anything, I’m a little jealous, because I’m dying to know what you two got up to that would produce such wonderful results.”

“She cheated.”  Vex chortled, daring to feel relieved, and snickered when Emily playfully shoved her elbow into the ranger’s side.

Rolling her eyes in amusement, and more than a little relief herself, Emily soon sat down at the table before helping herself to the assorted breakfast.  After last night’s….activities, she was positively ravenous.  “I Doppelgangered myself twice over.”

“You can do that?  Huh, I knew you could call one with all of your considerable talents, but I didn’t think you could use them to such effect.”  Percy replied, _very_ excited to hear every sordid detail.

“Wait.  So Vex got Doppelgangbanged?”  Grog asked with an approving grin as he and a few more of the group filed into the main hall.  “This is like mana from on high!  Guess who's got two thumbs and is gonna tell Vax who defiled his sister _all night_ long! ...Besides Percy, I mean.”

The unamused glare Vex leveled Grog’s way silenced the goliath’s mirth on the spot.  “Guess who will also have _no_ thumbs, or a tongue to tell my brother anything?”

“Tary?”  The goliath rumbled in confusion.

“Good guess, try again.”  Vex retorted flatly.

Percy finally decided Vex and Emily had been tormented long enough, and made it a point to walk around the table so that he was standing over Vex’s shoulder.  The warm smile on his face was matched only by the glimmer of delight in his blue eyes.  “I’m going to say this once your Highness, but I’m not a jealous man.  This goes for you too Vex, but I can’t claim ownership of someone when I’ve strayed in the past as well.  We weren’t technically a couple then of course, but I still knew Vex quite well, and I think I was slowly falling for her, but there was…..a lot going on at the time.  So when the opportunity presented itself with someone we had saved at the time, well….I didn’t say no.”

“Jeez, way to set the mood Percival.  Some of us are trying to eat.” Vax snarked as he entered the dining hall.  “Also, are you on a mission to never get laid again, or what?”

“Let me finish you smelly bastard.”  Percy snarked right back towards the insufferable rogue, “and it’s not like you don’t know.  Lilith didn’t leave Grayskull Keep until the following morning.”  Vax nodded and shrugged since he was right, but Percy had since turned back to the pair of women before him.  “My point though-”

Vax chose that moment to interrupt him with a jaunty wave to Vex, “Morning sister.”

It was all it took for Vex’s restraint to shatter as she blurted out, “I slept with Emily!  There!  Go ahead and do your worst brother!”

“Oh.  I see.... Well then, did you both enjoy yourselves at least?”  Vax asked, utterly unfazed by his sister's shouted confession.

“Yes?”  Vex admitted with a frown, thoroughly confused by Vax’s easy acceptance.  “ ...Immensely.”

“I’d hope so with all the fucking screaming we heard half the night.”  Vax muttered into his mug, grinning widely at the two of them.  “Thin stone walls are still thin, sis.”

“Oh shite.”  Emily groaned and promptly thunked her head against the table, having not even considered that possibility.

Percy chuckled good naturedly as he sat down next to Vex, reaching around to pat the Empress on her shoulder.  “Indeed.  I doubt even the guards managed not to hear you expertly ravaging the love of my life, if you don't mind me saying so, that is.  Would it be fair to consider that an engagement gift dearest?”

Emily perked up at the touch to her shoulder while Vex grinned from ear to ear.  “Even though I kinda started it, not expecting anything in return, I definitely do consider that quite a wonderful g-  Wait what?  En-en-engagement?”  She stammered out, mind blown for the second time in as many hours.  The rest of the dining hall had summarily quieted down as the weight of Percy’s words caught up with them.

It helped get his point across when Percy set his mug of coffee on the table before pulling out a little velvet lined box from the inside of his blue dress coat.  “Well since I’m bound to muck it up somehow anyway, I thought it best to take advantage of this... unique opportunity to show you just how much I am willing to give you.  The moon, the very stars themselves.  Even a threesome, if you ever happen to fancy one.” Percy added as an amusing afterthought to Emily, throwing her a playful wink before handing the now open ring box out to Vex, who could only gape at the sapphire encrusted ring sparkling just in front of her face, her mouth locked in a wide O of surprise.  “I am at your command my beloved.”  Percival vowed as he bent down on one knee and bowed his head.  “Will you brighten my pitiful existence with your gloriously radiant presence for the rest of my days?”

While her own presence went largely unnoticed, Cassandra was all quiet, subdued smiles as Vex hesitantly picked up the ring between her thumb and forefinger.  Trembling, Vex flicked her eyes to the ring, to Percy’s face, and back again before throwing her arms around the human’s neck, lavishing him with teary eyed kisses and a vast number of breathless  “Yeses!”  Vex finally calmed down enough to slide the ring on her finger before she buried her face into the crook of Percy’s neck.  “Gods you are the most amazing, stupid, heartwarming, infuriating man I’ve ever met.”

“Did Percy just-”  Keyleth stammered out, her mouth falling open as she tried to process what had just unfolded.

“About damn time if you ask me Kiki.”  Vax mused, grinning from ear to ear as he raised his mug towards the pair in abject approval.

“But we've been together even longer....”  Keyleth trailed off, sounding ever so slightly jealous.

“I know.”  Vax whispered and patted Keyleth on her arm.  “I haven’t forgotten.”  There was a promise there, a thin one, but a promise all the same.  It was enough to make Keyleth perk up and smile weakly, her cheeks red once more.

Emily meanwhile was still doing her best impression of a ripe turnip as she sheepishly patted Vex on the shoulder. “Um, congratulations?”  How she had gone from a sordid affair to a proposal of marriage, Emily did not know, only that she was still wrapping her head around how quickly the table conversation had changed even by her standards.

“Tell me darling, are you busy tonight?”  Vex innocently asked with an alluring wink once she pulled away from Percy’s loving embrace.

“Not that I know of- actually, yes, yes very much so.”  Emily protested before quickly regaining a sliver of her composure.  “I um, excuse me,  I should g-”

“No you shouldn’t.”  Percy stated, smirking over Vex’s shoulder at the flustered Empress.

Sighing in defeat, Emily acquiesced to his flat denial of trying to escape this really awkward….situation she found herself in.  “No I shouldn’t....”  She agreed softly, although she was still very tempted to run for the nearest exit.

“Hey, chin up, at least they aren't treating you like you’re stuck up royalty.”  Vax softly whispered to her with a grin.  How he’d gotten across the main hall so quickly, or softly, Emily didn’t bother to even guess at as he walked right behind her to share in his sister’s joy.  “The safe word is Raven.  Just shout that at the top of your lungs and I will literally swoop in and save you from my sister's clutches.”

Normally she’d have had something to say about needing to be rescued, especially since she had rescued herself more than once, but in this, Emily was all too happy to have Vax watching out for her.

“Not to put a damper on the happiness you two are feeling,” Keyleth quietly chimed in, earning a much relieved sigh from Emily for her timely interruption, “but we do kinda have plans today?  Just sayin’, I’d kinda like to get this over with.”

“Damn it.”  Grog grumbled in disappointment.

“Strangely I have to agree with you Grog.”  Taryon whispered to the goliath at his side.

“Oh, yes, your whole completing the Aramente thing, no worries dear.”  Vex distractedly muttered as she continued alternating between smothering Percy in kisses and staring at the new ring on her finger.  “Just let me bask for a few minutes more, alright?”

“Bask away Vex.”  Keyleth happily replied as a still grinning Vax pulled her against his side.

Cassandra was the first to see Pike as she ran through the dining hall’s doors, breathless from running to find her dysfunctional family.  “Okay. I distinctly heard cheers and giggling.  What the hells did I miss this time?”

“Oh nothin’ much.”  Grog began, as a cheeky grin spread across his face.  “Vex royally plowed her Highness Emily here last night, and then Percy gave her a shiny ring.”

The utterly shocked and confused look on Pike’s face would have been worthy of a silvergraph in Emily’s opinion.  “Vex and Emily... and Percy gave Emily... a ring?”  Pike stuttered, pointing a finger first at Vex and Emily before turning to Percy in an effort to make sense of it all.

“What?  No!”  Vex shouted and held up her hand towards the cleric who could only gape at her hand.  “He gave _me_ a ring Pike, as in he proposed, as in wedding engagement?”  She explained, as if talking to a particularly annoying child.

“Oh gods!”  Percy had all of two seconds to realize Pike was about to crush the air out of his lungs from behind as her little arms encompassed him.  Despite the pain in his ribs, he was grinning all the wider as Pike peered over his shoulder at Vex’s radiant face.  “It’s about damn time you two.”

“Yes, wonderful news indeed!  We should celebrate, after we ah, celebrate Keyleth’s completed Agamemnon.”  Keyleth didn’t waste her breath to correct Emily as Pike finally slid off of Percy’s back, much to the human’s immense if silent relief.

“I’m alright with that plan.”  Pike informed the group cheerfully.  “Along with a lot of things.”  She added with an approving wink at Emily.

A slightly less mortified Emily sighed in relief and had just begun to relax, until she felt Vex’s raven hair brush against her ear.  “Don't celebrate _too much_ darling, you’re going to need to save your strength for later.”

“Can't I just get you a silver tea set instead?”  Emily asked, hoping she might weasel her way out of this mess she’d gotten herself in.

“I already have a rather nice tea set darling, although it poisons everyone who drinks from it.  Hmm, might be nice to have a regular one honestly.”  Vex mused, genuinely interested in the prospect.

Emily wasn’t about to split hairs over what it’d likely cost her since even a thin thread was better than nothing at this point.  “Then I'll find you the finest-”

Vex wouldn’t be denied however, and the beaming, mischievous grin on her face told Emily that.  “Oh, no darling.  The wedding gift I want from you will be _much_ more memorable.”

“Better buy earplugs.”  Vax deadpanned, but the smirk on his own face hadn’t faded at all.

“Dearest, don't be so crude. Emily, you are under no requirement or compulsion, despite what Vex would so eagerly have you believe.”

“Well, I _did_ ask her for lessons in her native tongue.”  Emily hedged softly as she accepted the glass of wine Vax brought to her without needing to be asked.  “And I don’t have any other means to pay up.”

“Well then, I'll have to throw in a lifetime of free lessons... from my brother.”  Vex stated, giving her now unamused brother a cheeky smirk from across the room.

“Hey!”  Vax mock pouted as he plopped back down next to Keyleth.  He did cock his head and give Emily a curious glance though.  “And why do you want to speak elvish anyway?”

“Blame your sister.  She gave me a sampling of it last night, and it sounded pretty to me, even if it was tainted by the desperate begging I had reduced her to.”  The room exploded into very boisterously laughing Vox Machina, minus a very amusedly annoyed Vex, who pouted at that intimate declaration.  Emily smiled and took a measured sip from her wine glass, feeling a similarly familiar but welcome sensation of warmth and acceptance from being surrounded by these unique individuals.

Maybe she had found a place to call home in this strange world after all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that happened lol. While I might have diverged from canon pretty explicitly just now, it's all but set in stone by now with Percy and Vex getting engaged in a future episode. They've dropped hints for like thirty episodes at this point, so it's inevitable if you ask me. That said, I sincerely hope everyone here has enjoyed my first at least posted attempt at smut with a purpose as well as the chapter itself of course.


	8. The Brewing Tempest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets interesting. Enjoy the show, and just in case, any song, characters, etc are the property of their respective owners not counting originals of course lol. But in all seriousness everyone, this chapter gets a little rough. Nothing too out there, but there might be mentions of past traumas and the like. You've been warned.

**Chapter 8**

**The Brewing Tempest**

Stepping through the Sun Tree once more, Emily found herself standing on the edge of the world.  Staring into a swirling vortex of wind that seemed strangely quiet and restrained for how strong it appeared to her eyes, Emily had to blink and adjust to this newest impossibility.  A closer look revealed that the winds around the wooden platform at her feet were somehow being manipulated around the periphery of the quiet, rustic village as she got her first good look at Keyleth’s home.

As for the magnificent if dizzying view itself, that she somehow, slowly tore her gaze away from, she quickly surmised they were standing on a cliff face.  With mountains to either side, carved out either by the wind or the people themselve.  While she couldn’t be sure without a closer look, whatever the case, the vortex alone certainly gave this place its name.

Zephra, the home of the Air Ashari.  It was quaint, comfortably so in her opinion.  There were a dozen country villages Emily could name off the top of her head back in Gristol, but none of them that she’d visited or passed through had been this beautiful or openly accepting as her eyes swept the town square from their elevated position.  The people might have been just as varied and numerous in appearance as everywhere else she’d seen so far, but none of those purely human dominated villages in her homeland had ever felt this inviting, so long as she didn’t do anything to cause alarm of course.

But Keyleth was too busy nervously pointing to the various parts of town and the surrounding areas to give her any mind.  “Well this is it!  Oh, there's the first tree I ever climbed!  And that's where I learned my first cantrip!  Gust of course, good times.  And oh oh, look, see that small garden over there-"

Emily had already begun mentally blocking out Keyleth’s seemingly unending cheerful screed about all things Zephra.  Besides, it was obvious she was nervous, perhaps downright terrified if Emily wanted to go that far, and who could blame her?  From what little Emily truly understood of the situation, this was what she’d been working towards her whole life, and Keyleth was perfectly within her rights to be afraid of what that meant for her now it was over, and her future with the group.  To make it more apparent, Keyleth had been clinging to Vax since they’d started to the Sun Tree earlier that morning, like she was afraid he’d disappear if she didn’t have a hand on him.

“Emily?”  The regal assassin was pulled out of her thoughts, only to see Keyleth nervously frowning and gesturing towards a silver haired half elven gentleman.  Emily quickly, as much as her dignity and a regal demeanor allowed at least, rejoined the group before Keyleth introduced the individual.  “This is Korren, acting Headmaster to the Air Ashari, and my father.”  Emily raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing as Keyleth turned to her next.  “Dad, this is Emily... Washburn Dalton Kalderon?”

Emily chuckled good naturedly but shook her head at Keyleth’s butchered attempt at a proper introduction.  “Not quite.  But please, call me Emily, Headmaster Korren.”

“You’re a friend to my daughter, and an ally to those she walks besides.  Korren will suffice, child.”  Korren replied diplomatically, but the subtle flicker of acceptance and warmth she detected told her he was finding it very hard to keep his true feelings from bubbling forth.  This was a long awaited day for him and his people, that much was becoming painfully apparent to the Empress as Korren took in his daughter at length.  “And you’ve returned.”

“I have.  And I’ve successfully completed my Aramente.”  Keyleth stated, her voice unusually steady and firm, even if the declaration weighed heavily for her.

“I was already aware, I just wanted to hear you say it.”  Korren whispered as he pulled Keyleth into his arms.  “I always knew this day would come, and I could not be prouder of you, my child.”  Keyleth’s thin facade cracked, and a choked, happy sob escaped her as she melted into her father’s embrace.  It didn’t take long from there for Vax, followed very closely by Percy and the rest, to all but crush the two between them.

While she wound up on the outside with a smirking Taryon at her side, Emily almost felt sorry for the suddenly soft spoken rogue as Korren less than subtly appraised his daughter's boyfriend.  It was certainly an unique experience to see Vax nearly at a loss for words, once the entirety of Vox Machina, not counting herself and Taryon, pulled away from Keyleth and Korren.

A gentle tug at her sword belt had Emily spinning on a young elven boy, who rapidly stumbled backwards as she sighed and caught his hand before he could fall over.  He was all smiles when she helped him regain his balance, a gentle tug more than sufficient to reverse his momentum.  With a roll of her brown eyes, she gestured to the source of his fascination.  “Do you want to see how it works?”  She asked, the seemingly empty hilt on her hip having drawn the boy’s gaze.  He didn’t disappoint when he rapidly nodded his head.  “Alright, step back.  Perhaps a bit further.” 

Obediently taking a few steps back, Emily couldn’t help but smile before she tried to recall the steps her father often did anytime he pulled the sword off of his belt.  A twist of the hand once he pushed the button to release the blade, catching it as it unfolded, was not something she normally did because there was too much room for disastrous results.  Having your fingers chopped off by the blade as it unfolded was not something Emily normally felt the need to risk.  But in this instance she didn’t mind, especially since she wasn’t in a life or death situation.

What followed, happened in the span of a second and a half, but the boy at her side hardly breathed as her hand twisted just so, her fingers releasing the hilt once she pressed the button.  The blade unfolded the next split second, and just as it clicked into place, she caught it once more as it completed a single revolution.  Needless to say, Emily quickly realized she’d gotten a new fan as the sharp eared child clapped and jumped in place.  “Again, again!”  He cried, beaming from ear to pointy ear.

“Sorry, one performance to a customer I'm afraid.”  Emily said with a grin as she took a small bow, before seeing a gently smirking Pike and an openly wonderstruck Grog as she straightened and stowed her blade.

“I'll take one o’ those please.”  Grog cheered, all too happy to have her put her fingers on the line again.

For a child, she didn’t mind so much, so long as she was quick and careful, but for the gawking goliath?  Well, that was another matter as she turned to the boy, a wicked gleam in her brown eyes.  “And now, for my next performance, Pike, would you be so kind as to find me a-”  She glanced down at the ripe looking fruit the cleric had already slapped in her palm.  “Thank you, my fleet footed assistant.”

“No problem.”  Pike cheerfully replied.

“What you gonna do, pear me to death?”  Grog giggled, having no idea what Emily was about to do to him.

“No.  Here, catch.”  As she pitched the fruit at Grog’s large gray head, Emily was already in motion as she brought up her crossbow, and fired.  The hardened bolt pierced the fruit and sent it hurtling just over the top of the reaching goliath’s head, before it found a new home pinned to the side of the tree directly behind him.

The elven child was giggling so hard that he was bent at the waist, his hands on his stomach while Grog whimpered and shook in his boots at the near miss.  “Wasn't  _ that _ funny, ya lil shit.”  He muttered under his breath as he dabbed at his bald scalp, expecting to find blood instead of sticky pear juice.

Pike was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain her stoic demeanor as she quietly snickered into one gauntlet covered hand.  “I don’t know Grog, I think it was pretty funny.”  Grog harrumphed but reluctantly smiled for her benefit.

“That was a good shot though.”  The goliath hesitantly admitted, before adjusting the old leather loincloth he wore, not counting the armored leather ‘skirt’ around his waist.  “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll….be back.”  It was only when he turned around that both Pike and Emily grimaced as they saw the puddle of piss he left in his wake.

“Remind me not to do that again.  I could have gone my whole life without seeing that.”  Emily muttered to the gnome.

Much to her chagrin, Pike shrugged her shoulders before saying, “You get used to it.”

“I sincerely hope not!”  A mortified Emily retorted, before she shuddered and tried to dispel the image from her mind.

Fortunately for her, a few hours of peaceful preparations and the resulting revelries were an ample distraction.  And, it gave Emily a rare opportunity to see all of the members of Vox Machina with their, in Grog’s case at least, metaphorical, hair down.  Standing on the edge of most of the gathered crowds of Air Ashari, she had plenty of opportunities to see how they handled being surrounded by joyful celebrants.  Unlike the parties she was used to however, the Ashari were not full of airs and snobbish attitudes, making it an enjoyable experience even for the silently watching Emily.

Grog had since been turned into a walking jungle gym by most of the village’s children.  He didn’t seem to mind though as he smiled and giggled at the little ones that climbed all over him like an oversized clockwork teddy bear.  With Pike following closely after the laughing menagerie, a huge grin on her face, occasionally catching any of Grog’s more unfortunate passengers when they inevitably slipped off his lumbering form.

Whereas Percival and Vax were doing their very best  _ not  _ to draw attention to themselves.  A feat that grew infinitely harder when Vex began challenging several air riders to a race around the village.  Emily couldn’t help but hold her breath as it didn’t take long for a few riders to take up the challenge, before she learned the reason why they were called such.  Using her broom, Vex put on a good effort, but when compared to their air gliders, staffs that had unfoldable, ingeniously designed wings of animal hide attached to them, the air riders she’d gone up against just pulled ahead at the last moment.  If anything, Emily had the distinct impression they weren't giving it their all in order to give poor Vex even a fleeting hint of a chance at victory.  It had still made for an amazing show however that garnered more than a few shouts of encouragement from the people around them.

Taryon was in fine form as he happily regaled another group of kids about ‘his’ accomplishments.  For a blowhard that was as naive as he was full of himself, Emily had to give him this much credit.  He told a captivating story, and his little audience were eating up every word as Doty held up the book, with the more child friendly pages on display for their viewing pleasure.  While this was going on, Emily saw Keyleth was also entertaining some of the older among the tribe.  She was smiling freely for a change, and while Emily still caught the occasional bout of painful shyness and awkwardness, it was good to see the formidable druid having a good time with Korren quietly observing from just behind and to her left, a soft, tender loving smile on his face.

The sight, while heartwarming, had an unfortunate side effect however.  It instantly reminded Emily not only how deeply she missed her mother, but also her father as well.  Corvo might not have let it show, but he’d have liked it here, he’d have enjoyed the people most of all.  This place was so far removed from the palace in every way that mattered, he’d have been able to relax for a change instead of expecting someone to poison him or stab her in the back, or any number of ill fated thoughts of the same ilk.  Being a Royal Protector had its hazards after all, but so did being an Empress, as her mother could have attested to.

So it was little surprise to her that she never truly dropped her guard, even in a quaint paradise such as Zephra.  Her quiet discomfort must have been etched on her face because it didn’t take long to find her with her back to a tree.

“Everything alright?”  Pike asked, although Emily was sure she already knew the answer.

That she asked at all though made Emily smile a little even as she looked away from the cleric.  “Of course….”  She started to say, but when Pike’s big blue eyes found her own, she sighed and shook her head.  “I guess it’s fairly obvious it’s not.”  She muttered, before deigning to look Pike dead on.

“I wasn’t going to point it out until you did, but yes.”  Pike agreed before beckoning Emily to follow her.  Emily fell in behind the cleric, and saw her destination was a flower covered wooden gazebo a short distance away from the party.  It was close enough they were only a short walk away, but it was far enough away they were afforded a measure of privacy.  “Better?  I figured you could use a little peace quiet.  Although, I'm sure a few your new fans will be devastated by your sudden disappearance.”

Emily managed a weak smile at that, but she sighed heavily, tiredly, as she leaned on the railing of the gazebo.  It vaguely resembled the same one, although  _ that  _ one had been made of stone, on the top of Dunwall Tower.  The same one where her mother had been murdered.  Rapidly shaking her head to dispel that particular batch of bad memories before they could play out again, Emily looked down to Pike, grateful for the distraction she provided.  “I truly am quite enamored with this place Pike, and it’s not the party that’s got me….out of sorts.”  She offered guardedly, trying very hard not to feel jealous of Keyleth in her long awaited day.  It wasn’t easy to talk about any of what had brought her here, so she hoped Pike wouldn’t ask outright, if she asked at all.

Thankfully, Pike decided to go a different route altogether than the one she’d been expecting.  Most likely on purpose, given her suddenly patronizing tone.  “Oh.  If you're worried about that whole silly thing Vex brought up earlier, I can sternly tell her to lay off her particularly flirty brand of humor if you like.”

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”  Emily replied, her melancholy disappearing, if only a little, at the well received humor.  “If anything, while Vex might earn her name, it’s been a relief in some ways to be treated just like everyone else.”

“Good, because between you and me, I think she likes you.  Not like Percy mind you, more like... Trinket.”  Pike offered at last after a momentary struggle to find the words she’d been looking for.

“Are you implying that I'd make a fine pet, Miss Trickfoot?”  Emily asked while she valiantly tried not to laugh at the idea Pike had put in her head.  If that had come from anyone else, Vex included, she would have taken it as an insult.  Pike however she had already figured out didn’t just speak to fill the air.  She had a reason for all that she said or did that was hard to come by.

Deciding she needed to explain her thought, a blushing Pike slowly began to elaborate, more so she got her desired point across.  “Vex only had her brother for the longest time, and she's since developed the habit of... taking in strays if you will.  Damn, that sounds even worse-”

Emily waved her off with a smile and a nod of her head, “It’s fine Pike.  I think I understand what you’re trying to say.”  She reassured her, and while it wasn’t what she was used to, she found she liked the idea Vex considered her a friend, even if it was a relationship possibly born out of some sense of pity.  There were far worse things.

“And... while your um, time alone with her was probably,  _ mostly  _ due to good intentions, let's just say Vex has interesting ways of getting what she wants.”  Pike hesitantly explained while she quietly wrung her hands a little.

“Or trying to wrap a possible rival around her little finger?”  There was probably a less sinister sounding reason Emily wasn’t considering, but her mood didn’t allow her to think of it.  That and she wasn’t stupid, or blind, Vex had likely felt threatened with the way she and Percy had been so sympathetically chummy.

But her perspective was changed when Pike spelled it out to her, albeit in that same kind, sympathetic tone she’d gotten used to.  “Or she was trying to apologize, even if it was in a typical, heavy handed Vex fashion.”

While it took her a moment to find her footing, Emily nodded and managed to keep her voice steady despite the slight blush that spread across her pale cheeks.  “Oh believe me, there was nothing heavy about it.  Blunt and overly aggressive, on the other hand.... With a hint of neediness, although on whose part I can't really say.  The sleepy afterglow was quite nice at least.”

The blush that again quickly overtook Pike’s pretty face made her feel almost worse for some reason.  “I  _ really _ don't need to hear the details.  But suffice it to say, you can trust Vex with your life.  Just don't be surprised if she lies to you, or betrays your trust, when it comes to the little things.”

Emily nodded, grateful for the warning, but also the promise that Vex was, at least for the moment, fully accepting of her presence now.  It made what she said next quite easy for her to articulate.  “I’ll do what I can to keep that trust whole.”  Emily promised, not about to do anything to squander someone like Vex, despite how much of a headache such a friendship would likely cause her, on a mere whim.

“I'm glad to hear that.  Because I don't want to see her get hurt.  Even if she's usually the cause.”  Emily nodded once more, understanding Pike’s concern.  She relaxed when Pike returned the gesture with a soft smile.  “Good.”

“Empress!  Empress!”  Startled out of the strangely reassuring conversation, the almost serene atmosphere now shattered, Emily’s hand nearly fell to the sword on her belt since she was certain she hadn’t introduced herself by her proper title.  But thankfully two things stopped her from making a scene.  A firm, restraining hand on her arm from Pike, and the sight of the young boy she had thoroughly impressed upon their initial arrival.  He ran up to the gazebo, breathless but all smiles as he held out a note to her.  “Pretty...looking bard…..asked me...to give you this.  Said it was for Empress Emily’s eyes only.  You didn’t say you were an Empress!”  He pouted at the end, but Emily had since tuned him out as she took the note, distantly noticing the concerned look that had since appeared on Pike’s face.

Thankfully Pike took care of the boy, thanking him for his help and gently shooing him away while Emily scanned the message.  It was short, direct, and while at first glance there didn’t seem anything amiss, she still felt the blood in her veins turn to ice at what it said.

“Hello your most Imperial Majesty.  We have a mutual acquaintance, a tall, dark and dashingly handsome young man.  He wanted me to pass along a message to you, but I think you’ll guess what that message is soon enough.  Listen closely...and enjoy the show.  It’s Keyleth’s big day after all!

-Your loyal  _ replacement _ , a friend in the cold gray.”

Numbly handing the note to Pike, she tersely whispered out the side of her mouth, “I’ll find them.  Don’t raise a fuss, don’t make any sudden movements, don’t even warn the others over the earrings yet.  Go up to them directly.”

“Alright, but as soon the party’s over-”  Pike began, but Emily had since walked away.

Dark Vision would be useless since she had no idea who she was looking for, and it didn’t help identify other Marked individuals as far as she knew.  It only showed magical disturbances around witches and Hypatia, given the cause of her altered mind and body at the time.  And there was another problem, one she only then realized then as she began towards the crowd, keeping her ears open for whatever it was the messenger wanted her to hear.  Most everyone here, as far as she’d seen at any rate, was magically inclined, so her Dark Vision wouldn’t have helped anyway even if she did know what to look for.  There’d be ribbons of magical energies around most if not every single person.

So instead, she focused on anyone  _ not  _ paying her any special attention.  Since most of the Ashari around her were fascinated with her utter foreignness, it would be stranger for someone to be avoiding her searching brown gaze.  And then, as if on cue, a distant, hauntingly familiar melody reached her ears.  It was then she saw the singer, having taken position on top of a performer’s platform that jutted out of a nearby tree across the open village square from where she was now.

She played a simple mandalin of wood and leather, but she was skilled enough to coax out quite the riveting melody.  Dressed in finely tailored linens with a just noticeable armored leather corset underneath, the beautiful human bard, a prettily freckle faced and a long mane of fiery red hair that fell over the left side of her face, took one look at Emily and winked her right eye that was bright green, her left being a distinct shade of blue, confirming Emily’s fears even as the bard began belting out the lyrics without missing a beat.

“They say Emily was born to wear a crown on her head.   
But all her young life, some wanted her dead.   
She ascended too soon, or that's what they said.   
And 'fore too long, the streets would run red.”

As if on some unspoken signal, the bard disappeared in a way Emily had only seen one other person do before.  She Blinked, appearing on another wooden platform, further away from the Empress, but still close enough that she could hear every word, despite the excited gasps and cheers from the crowd.  She was openly using the Outsider’s gifts to enthrall the Air Ashari, while blatantly mocking the Empress in the same breath.  She’d have almost been impressed with the singer’s confidence if Emily wasn’t determined to slit her talented throat.   
  
“Life was not easy for our sweet Empress.   
As a leader of men, she worked hard to impress.   
But her treaties and pacts had little success.   
And our skies turned dim and we lived in distress.”

By then, Emily had caught the eye of Vax and Percival as they too heard the song.  A song that they were quick to realize shouldn’t have been even known here, especially since it named her explicitly.  She didn’t relax, not by a long shot, but she did let out a quick sigh of relief that they had figured it out without her having to explain why she was trying to push her way through the crowd without raising an alarm.   
  
“A coup, a coup! What is it to you?   
A feast or a famine, a nail or a screw?   
A Duke from the south, a vile witches brew.   
A coup, a coup! What is it to you?”   
  
Vex took one look at the bard, listened to the song only for a split second, and let out a string of curses when she realized what was happening.  “Son of a dragon fucking whore!  Sorry darlings, rematch later!”  Vex told the air riders she’d gathered around herself, and quickly took off on her broom.  Ignoring the cheers from the crowd who no doubt thought it was all part of the show, Vex cursed again when the bard winked up at her.  And just as quickly, the fiery redhead was gone just as the ranger got within reach.  “Fuck!  Guys we have a big fucking problem.”  She said, tugging at her earring as the bard appeared within the center of the crowd.

“The walls of Dunwall, did they help her at all?   
For our Emily, they were good for a fall.   
A captain, a traitor, they danced at a ball.   
The walls of Dunwall, did they help her at all?”

Pike, having gotten to Grog, quickly explained what was going on.  “Right.”  He rumbled, readying his dwarven thrower, just as the bard appeared in front of them.  She smirked up at the goliath, using the brief musical break to blow the barbarian a kiss before she Blinked away as his hammer swung through the space she’d just been occupying.  “Okay that was impressive.”  Grog murmured to Pike.

“She’s certainly got spunk.”  Pike reluctantly agreed.

“Percival, stop complimenting the smug bitch, and help me grab her!”  Vax growled over his earring.   


“For every loyal friend that Emily did make.   
There grew three betrayers, her life ready to take.   
Whispers in the south, a conspiracy planned.   
She trusted her allies, played into their hands.”

Once more the bard Blinked away just as Emily had finally gotten close, and she was pretty sure she had since seen Vax and Percival tracking her movements now as they too tried to keep up.  This was getting them nowhere.  Emily would have given her right arm for one of the Whisper Earrings the rest of the group had on them in that moment.  It would have made a coordinated effort so much simpler.

“A coup, a coup! What is it to you?   
A feast or a famine, a nail or a screw?   
A Duke from the south, a vile witches brew.   
A coup, a coup! What is it to you?”

“Hold still!”  Pike commanded and tried, and failed, to get a Spiritual Weapon, or rather a Spiritual Lasso, around the bard’s waist.  Instead of nabbing her target, the woman allowed it to fall around her before disappearing just as Pike tried to pull it taut.  “Okay that’s getting old.”  She grumbled as she pulled the lasso’s length back before someone tripped on it.   
  
“A mystical woman, Delilah she's called.   
Claimed rights to the throne, and the Duke she enthralled.   
Some called it magic and some called it fate.   
Did she do it for love, did she do it for hate?”

Emily felt her teeth grinding together as she saw a familiar dagger silently embed itself into a wall just behind where the grinning woman had been standing a moment before, and then also vanishing just as quickly.  The problem with Blink was that, according to Corvo at least, it allowed the user to freeze time around them, giving them more than enough time to choose where they wanted to appear next.  While they could do little else, it still gave the bard the upper hand in this game of theirs as she once more appeared out of their reach.   
  
“Now I'm just a poor singer, recounting this tale.   
If I sing it wrongly I'm dead as a whale.   
The Duke rules us now, and we know him, we do.   
So let's raise a glass to our Duke and the coup!”   


“Let’s see how well you sing with an arrow in your throat.” Vex muttered as she steadily hovered took aim at the wooden platform the bard had appeared on the next moment.  Much to her great surprise, the bard didn’t move far.  She merely incorporated evasive dodging into her performance, allowing the two arrows Vex fired to hit the tree behind a very stunned, then incredibly impressed group of cheering children.  To add insult to injury, the bard once more winked up at Vex before Blinking away.  “Ugh!  This bitch is going to get it!”

“A coup, a coup! What is it to you?   
A feast or a famine, a nail or a screw?   
A Duke from the south, a vile witches brew.   
A coup, a coup! What is it to you?”

With a grand bow to the cheering crowd, the bard timed her last Blink to coincide with an arcane display of harmless fireworks, throwing a bit of the local magic into the mix.  Before causing Vax and Percy to run straight into each other as they desperately tried to grasp their mutual prey.  “Did that just happen?”  Percy groaned as he lay flopped out on the ground next to an equally dizzy and disoriented Vax.

“Yeah….yeah it did.”  Vax muttered as Emily soon joined them, her face white as a ghost.  “I take it that was a declaration of war?”  He asked in that dry, sarcastic way of his, having put two and two together in short order.

Pushing himself to his feet, Percy wasted little time to put a hand on Emily’s shoulder.  Partly to steady himself, but mostly to try and reassure her she wagered.  “Or a less than subtle warning to stay out of his way.  I'm so sorry Emily, there's no excuse for-”

“Being human?  Or at least half.”  She added as an afterthought to Vax, who simply stared at her once he’d gotten to his feet again.  “This was  _ not _ supposed to happen.”  She groaned, feeling utterly out of her depth again.  “I didn’t think he’d do something so….so blatant like this.  He rarely talks to people he Marks, let alone makes his intent so clear.”

“To be fair, my best guess is he got painfully poked by the Raven Queen.”  Vax offered, having since come to the conclusion with what little Emily had been able to tell him.  “If she really did threaten him as we believe, then it’s only reasonable he’d want to stave off his possible demise.”

“This doesn't feel right for some reason.  He wasn't just sending you a mess-”  Percy began, but he quickly realized he heard the distinct noise of someone suddenly occupying a space they hadn’t been standing in a moment ago.  “Vax!”  Time seemed to slow down for the gunslinger as he instinctively lunged toward the rogue, bowling him over.  And then just as quickly discovered that a rapier’s blade had found a new home through his left lung.  He wasn’t dead, but Percy knew he wasn’t going to be fighting anytime soon as the scowling bard growled out a curse at his impressive reflexes, her prettily freckled face inches away from his.

“Not bad love.”  The bard purred darkly, as she quickly shoved Percy off of her blade’s edge.  Which was a second she didn't have to waste, as Emily plunged her own blade through the bard’s heart.  She’d have celebrated, except she saw the woman’s now black eyes right before she saw the Void smoke pouring out of the wound.  Right before the grinning Doppelganger exploded in a cloud of dizzying smoke.

The crowd had since taken notice that there was a problem, a very bad, very big problem.  So when the Doppelganger went up in smoke, most of them had panicked and recoiled from the magical disturbance.  While it didn’t last long, it was several seconds too long for Emily as she tried to find Percy amidst the thick cloud of gray, magical smoke.  She was nearly blinded to the point that she about tripped over the gunslinger when she did.  He was sprawled out on his butt, one hand clutching at his chest, his jacket quickly growing damp and red despite his efforts to staunch the bleeding.  “Oh dear, I’m afraid I’m feeling rather drained....”

Vax’s hands were on him in an instant as Emily fumbled at her belt, trying to get one of her elixirs out.  Her trembling, shaking fingers didn’t make it easy, especially since life threatening injuries weren’t exactly what they were meant for.  “Hey!  Show me those pretty baby blues you shit!”  Before she could get the elixir free, Emily nearly fell out of her jacket when Vax’s hands began to glow with a comforting white light.  While the wound didn’t shrink down completely, some of the color that had literally bled out of Percy’s already pale face somewhat returned.  “Pike!”  Vax shouted over his shoulder once it was done.  “Get over here now!”

“Coming!  Excuse me, pardon me.  Coming through!  Get out of my way!”  Pike shouted, becoming more determined and less polite by the second.

“EVERYBODY MOVE YOUR FUCKIN’ ASSES!”  The bellowing command from Grog parted the crowd, allowing the duo to run up to Percy just as Emily finally got her elixir free of her damnable, Void blasted belt sling.

“Save it, you might need it later.”  Pike ordered without slowing her determined stride, her hands already glowing with a similar light.  Except hers was a golden hue of healing energy as she laid her hands on both Percy’s back and chest.  “Better?”  She asked as, much to Emily’s amazement, where Vax had only slowed the bleeding, her efforts had all but completely healed the stab wound.

“Oh, thank you Pike. That's very nice....”  Percy slurred in a dazed bliss as he slumped back against a greatly relieved Vax.

“What happ-?  Percy!”  Vex cried out just as she and Keyleth appeared from the crowd.  Keyleth put her hands up to her mouth while the ranger knelt by Vax, who gave her a reassuring nod and quickly brought her up to speed on what had occurred.

Emily wasn’t paying much attention to her surroundings, distracted from the horror in front of her by a far more traumatic memory.  All Emily could see was her mother’s last moments before she was taken by one of Daud’s assassins to be used in the traitors’ attempted coup of the Empire.  To make it worse, Alexi’s face flashed in front of her eyes after witnessing the all too similar nature of Percy’s injuries.  What she now realized was Vax’s near assassination had been entirely too similar to those horrible days.  And despite the decade and a half between them, she was pointedly reminded that even now, with all of her power and training, she’d been just as helpless as that ten year old girl, dreaming of adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that happened. :D Emily's having a bad day, Percy got stabbed, and the Outsider has declared war on Vox Machina. This couldn't get much worse could it? Oh wait....nevermind, this is Vox Machina, they've pissed off demons, gods, and everything in between, it can ALWAYS get worse lol. But in all seriousness ladies and gentlemen, this was both very enjoyable to write, but also painful to drag Emily through that at the end there. Next chapter will continue the trend of bad memories and things she's kept mostly to herself thus far, so it'll be a bit rough for a while yet. Fair warning now sorry to say.


	9. The Needs of the Many

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took a little doing to get this chapter up to snuff, but I managed with a little help from a dear friend. I don't know when the following chapters will come, but so long as I've got the inspiration and the motivation for this, I'll try to keep things fairly regular if at all possible. As for THIS chapter though, it made me a bit teary eyed honestly, in a good way though lol. But it does continue the rough trend established last chapter, albeit in a slightly different fashion. It's going to get better though.

**Chapter 9**

**The Needs Of The Many**

It didn’t take long for someone to notice Emily’s near catatonic gaze as she defeatedly slumped to the dirt.  “Emily.  Emily?  Guys, something's terribly wrong with her.”  Keyleth told her shakened friends as she knelt next to the profoundly broken young woman.  “Did that damn bard do something to her?”

“Not that I saw.”  Vex managed to choke out, tears running down her face as she sobbed into Percy’s shoulder.  Despite Pike’s reassurances, it’d been too close a thing for the ranger to just brush it off.

“Fuck.  This is not the time for this.”  Vax half groaned, half growled, the first to actually glance at Emily directly, and the first to guess what was going on behind those blank, brown eyes that had, until a few minutes ago, been so full of light and wry mischief.  She was still physically present, but nobody was there to answer the damn door from what he could see. 

“Bring her with us.”  Vex whimpered, her arms clutched tightly around Percy’s neck and waist.  “We can’t just leave her here like this.”

“What the ‘ell’s wrong with her anyway?”  Grog pleaded, in his own loud, jarring way, gently scooping Emily up as if she were light as a feather and just as fragile.

“We’ll explain later Grog.”  Taryon replied tersely and gestured away from the crowd of curious onlookers before trying to start away from the party.  “Please excuse us good people!  Doty, stop writing everything down and help me.”

“This way guys.”  Keyleth commanded as she took the lead, unusually steady despite the crisis playing out around her.  “There should be a healer’s house nearby.  We can figure out what to do next once we’re sure they’re alright.”  While Korren did what he could to help clear a path, Keyleth was the real reason people rapidly parted and got out of their way in short order.  Questions would be answered soon she promised those that asked, but they first needed to tend to their own.

“Air riders to me!  Protect the Voice of the Tempest and her companions!”  Korren commanded before a flurry of movement immediately followed.

“That’s gonna take some getting used to.”  Keyleth muttered as she and the others quickly found themselves surrounded on every side by a protective circle of a dozen warriors.

“I, for one, could get very used to this.”  Taryon observed as they were rapidly ushered through the distraught and concerned masses.  Between Keyleth and the air riders called by her father, it only took a few minutes to reach their destination.  It took even less time, once everyone was settled, for Pike to examine Percival, and to assure the others that he’d be alright with some rest.  It wasn’t until she turned to Emily, who Grog had gently laid on a nearby bed, that she grew slightly more troubled.

Vex was the first to ask, her hands wrapped firmly around the now semi conscious gunslinger’s, from the chair she’d pulled up to his side.  “Pike...  is there anything you can do for her?”

“I have an idea.”  Pike offered softly, afraid to speak too loudly lest they make things worse.  “Grog?  You might want to hold her arms.”

“Uh, alright.”  Confused but not about to argue with Pike, Grog grasped the Empress’s arms as carefully as he was able.  “Oh!”  He gasped a moment later, realization dawning on him like a ton of rocks.  “It’s like that thing fighters do if they’re injured.  Ya gotta hold ‘em down so they don’t end up killin’ the guy tryin’ to help them, right?”

“Something like that.”  Pike replied with a nod, raising her gauntleted hand with the slightest hesitation, before slapping Emily as hard as she could across the face.  Her response was immediate as it was feral, as Emily howled in pain and jerked bodily in Grog’s grip, but the despondent blankness in her eyes had disappeared, as did the resulting need to tear Pike’s throat out.  “Welcome back.”  Pike stated, quite relieved once Emily looked like she was fully aware of her immediate surroundings.

“Pike….?  Ow.”  Emily grimaced, her right cheek no doubt hurting a great deal from the slap, but Pike was just glad she was okay as she gestured for Grog to let her go.

Once he had, Pike offered her a small, apologetic smile.  “Sorry.  It was the quickest way to get you back from wherever you’d gone.”

“Thank you... a bruised cheek is preferable to being trapped in that hell of my own making.”  Emily softly muttered, before she wrapped her arms around herself as she shuddered in grief and newfound fear.  “Void help me but I brought this here.”

“Hey, this wasn't your fault.”  Pike sternly admonished her as she gently began caressing her cheek, a warm golden glow radiating from her hand.  She wasn’t all that surprised when Emily leaned into her far more gentle touch, no doubt needing more than words now after the scare she’d endured, same as the rest of them in their respective ways.  “This wasn’t your fault.”  Pike repeated herself far more softly, gently, and while it broke her heart, she was also relieved in a way to see the first tears begin to slowly roll down the formidable woman’s cheeks.

Nor was Pike, or anyone else around them, surprised by the morose, softly spoken reply that followed.  “Thank you Pike, but I think we both know that lying isn't one of your best skills.”

“Piss on that.”  Grog growled as he stood in front of Pike and Emily, his big burly arms crossed over his chest.  “I might not be the smartest guy here, but even I know you had nothin’ to do with this, whoever the fuck that bitch was, what stabbed Percy.  We get stabbed, shot, blown up, tele’ported, dropped off cliffs, thrown in lava, and everythin’ else all the time just helpin’ folk.  I ain’t gonna hold a grudge just ‘cause some piece o’ shit decided to come after us, yet  _ again _ .”

“You're quite right Grog.”  Percy softly spoke up as he leaned against Vex.  “Although, I wouldn't mind having a rather stern chat with that lovely young woman who stabbed me.  Ow.”  He grimaced as he gingerly touched the spot in question.  “Yes, I do believe that’s going to bruise later.”

“I could kiss it and make it feel better darling.”  Vex chuckled weakly as she wiped at her eyes.  Giving him a quick kiss on his cheek, the ranger stood to her feet and spun to Pike, Grog, and Emily before squeezing in next to the goliath.  “And you, Emily, are a fucking idiot if you think this is somehow your doing.”

Pike let the hand she’d been caressing her cheek with move to Emily’s back as the Empress put her fingers to her temples.  “I... I think I may have dreamed of the Outsider again.  Spoke with him... I brought this down upon all of you somehow, I just know it.”

“Maybe you did.”  Keyleth’s voice wasn’t accusatory or loud, but it was still enough to make Emily jerk upright.  “Don’t misunderstand me Emily, I don’t blame you for any of this either, even though that song certainly got pretty blatant about what was clearly coming our way.  But you didn’t  _ want  _ that woman to pop up.  She made her own choice.  She’ll answer for what she’s done here, Outsider or no Outsider.”

“Besides, we already sort of knew that much.”  A frowning Vax confessed as he gestured to Percy and himself.  “But you are  _ not  _ the problem here.  It's that shadowy fucker who followed you I'm worried about.”

“I still accepted his Mark, knowing full well there’d be a price to be paid at some point.  My father certainly warned me enough about it.”  Emily muttered darkly, and began to stare balefully at the brand on her hand.  “First my mother, Alexi and my entire country fifteen years later, and now this.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake woman, take a bloody number, then you can get in line right behind me, my sister, and Percival for who has the biggest fucking sob story.”  Vax’s heated declaration was enough to pull Emily’s gaze away from her hand.  “And you can get off your fucking soap box while you’re at it, your Highness.”  Blinking owlishly, Emily was at a loss as Vax’s features softened somewhat a few seconds later.  “You, me, Vex, and Percy all have made shitty deals with things we had no fucking business dealing with in the first place, but at least yours had something other than pointless revenge guiding your actions.  No offense.”  He threw towards Percy as an aside.

“ _ Some _ taken.”  Percy replied, despite nodding his head in approval.  “But I see your point Vax.  Now I'm just wondering how, or if, we can even guard against another attack like this.  Honestly, if she'd acted like a professional assassin and hadn't been so fixated on putting on a good show at toying with us, Vax would most likely be dead, along with the rest of us.”

Emily sighed tiredly as she ran her hands over her eyes, scrubbing away the tear tracks that had formed.  Pike’s hand hadn’t moved from her back, and the group saw the way she leaned into the gnome’s hand as she began to speak.  “I...don’t think it’s going to be that easy, because some of what happened back home was in part my negligence that allowed Delilah her chance, but...your efforts are more appreciated than I can ever say.”  Taking a breath, she swallowed and managed a watery, grateful smile as she looked towards each of Vox Machina’s respective faces.

“So are we totally boned or what?”  Grog asked with a confused frown.

At this Emily firmly shook her head.  “No.  No we aren’t.”  She stated with renewed, if still subdued, strength.  “She might be Marked like me, but we’re far from immortal, or unstoppable.  Our magic can still be blocked with the right measures, and we’re still human at the end of the day.”

“Speak for yourself darling.”  Vex gently teased as she plopped herself back in the seat by Percy’s bed.  “But go on.”

“Blink gives her an obvious advantage, but it has its limitations.  Doppelganger makes her difficult to pin down, but it's not impossible.  It’s what we haven’t seen from this woman that I’m  _ truly _ worried about.”  It didn’t take much to notice that Emily was just shy of ranting as she breathlessly got out every word, but any sign of life was certainly an improvement in their collective, unspoken opinions.

“Like what, can she fly or command an army of rats or something?”  Vax sarcastically asked.

“She might be able to possess rats or insects if not people themselves, and there have been stories of Marked individuals being able to summon pests, so it’s entirely possible.”  Emily replied, trying to wrack her brain for every bit of lore she’d uncovered or seen brought to reality herself.

“Well fuck, and here I thought that was just a bad joke.”  Vax grumbled good naturedly.  “You’re the expert on this bastard and his little pet.  Any ideas?”

“I might have a few.  I just….need a little time.”  Time they didn’t really have, but her request wasn’t without merit.

Nor was it ignored, as Pike and Vax both nodded in understanding.  “It’ll be alright.”  Pike softly stated, her hand making comforting circles against Emily’s back.  The look she’d shared with Vax and Percy needed no explanation.  It was fairly obvious that Emily was still pretty shaken up, and her attempt at stalling was rather blatant despite its intent.

“So um, I guess I should maybe go finish things up real quick so we can get out of here.”  With that, Keyleth started for the door.

Having remained quietly by her side, Korren gently moved to block Keyleth’s path before she could leave, his hands moving to her shoulders.  “Keyleth, while I am profoundly sorry for this horrible turn of events, this ceremony is not something to be taken ligh-"

“You know what dad, considering the fact my best friend was nearly just  _ killed  _ in our  _ home _ , I could care less about tradition and pageantry right now.  If anything, this just proves what I was talking with you about before, that the world won’t just leave us alone.  Our isolation is not a strength, it’s our greatest weakness.”  She calmed somewhat, but the determined gleam in her eyes and the set of her jaw hadn’t faded in the slightest.  “I’m not saying we should throw ourselves out there all at once, but we can’t go it alone anymore.  Thordak proved that, Raishan used us, and the Conclave nearly destroyed the world around us while our people hid away from it all.  And the Fire Ashari paid for our complac-”

“Keyleth, you don’t have to convince me.”  Korren stated as he moved his hands to Keyleth’s cheeks next.  “And you say you’re not made to be a Voice of the Tempest.  We’ll talk of this at length later, but I believe it won’t take much to convince everyone that this is something that should have been done long ago.”

“Oh….right.”  Keyleth chuckled sheepishly as she pulled away from her father’s grasp.

“That's my girlfriend, everybody.”  A proudly grinning Vax yet again reminded his smirking friends.

Something in Keyleth’s impassioned speech had Emily smiling a little stronger now.  She was likely still a mess inside, but it made those who noticed glad to see she was coming around at least.

“If it makes you feel better sir,”  Percy began after regarding Emily’s expression for a moment, filing his own thoughts away for later perusal since he wasn’t convinced, “I think I might have a good place to start if you’d be willing to hear me out.”  He said as he turned to Korren.  “Whitestone could certainly use the assistance of your people, and while I’d have to talk to my sister, I’m quite certain we could come up with a mutually beneficial agreement that’d help us all in the long term.”

“After the ceremony, and when we’ve properly reassured the people that all is well,” Korren began as he turned his attention back to Keyleth, “I’ll happily hear what you’d offer us Lord De Rolo.”

“Percy, please, and I can wait.  I’m not going anywhere for the time being.”  He assured the man, a wry smirk appearing on his face as he gestured to his current state of recovery.

“I'll be back shortly.  Just... be careful.”  Keyleth told them as she started to back away, extremely hesitant to take her eyes off of any of them.

“Oh for gods sake, Vax, Grog Taryon, go with her.  There, now you'll have three bodyguards and our Tempest-in-waiting can keep an eye on you Vax.  And this way, Keyleth can finish her coronation in peace.  Well…”  Percy trailed off, before correcting himself.  “As peaceful as things can get after a failed assassination attempt at least.”

“And don't worry, we’ll keep a close eye on  _ you _ too darling.”  Vex purred as she gave Emily a teary eyed wink, before she grinned widely at her blushing Empress.  Despite the near disastrous close call they'd had, Vex had already come to the conclusion that they were going to get through this latest crisis, somehow.

“Indeed.  Dearest, would you kindly prop me up and put Animus and Retort within easy reach, please?“  Once Vex was close, the gunslinger put a hand to her cheek and kept her still so that she could see his face.  “She's going to run.”  Percy silently mouthed to Vex with a reassuring grin, as he shared a meaningful glance with Vax as he, Grog, and Taryon started after Keyleth.  Vax didn’t respond, and while he couldn’t read lips like Vex, Percy knew he could reasonably guess what they’d been talking about given the rogue’s own mental state after his first encounter with the Raven Queen.

\----------------------------------

Somehow, Emily was able to get a few hours of restless sleep.  It was broken up by nightmares, centered around her mother’s death and the violent coup a decade and a half later.  The particular nightmare that woke her up in the middle of the night was especially jarring.  Since it involved a mortally wounded Alexi appearing out of nowhere to grab her arm as Emily prepared to leave, and accusing her of letting her bleed out on the floor like a dog in a gutter.

“Didn’t I mean more to you than just another throw away servant to be discarded?!”  Alexi screamed in her face, her lips lined with fresh blood as her hands went for Emily’s throat.  “Didn’t I mean more to you than that?!”

Emily found herself panting, biting her tongue to suppress her scream that nearly poured out of her, and covered in sweat on the edge of the bed.  But a peacefully sleeping Percy just across the way told her that she hadn’t made a peep by some minor miracle.  His pistols were still in his lap, and while she was sure he’d come alive at a drop of a hat if the need arose, that didn’t stop her from trying to quietly slink away, once her heart had gone back down her throat.  Beginning to walk towards the door of the house, Emily dared to glance one last time at the white haired gunslinger.  Whispering a goodbye that was really meant for all of Vox Machina, Emily silently closed the door behind her.

She had barely taken several steps into the quiet night, pale moonlight the only source of light she could see by, before a voice called out from the shadows.  “Where do you think you're going?”

Just resisting the urge to jump, Emily spun towards the noise and relaxed when she saw it was only a certain gnome cleric standing vigil by the door.  “Oh, Pike, you startled me.  Just getting a bit of fresh air.  Go back to sleep, I'll take the next watch for you.”

“Now who’s a piss poor liar?”  Pike grinned as she put a hand on one heavily armored hip.  “You wouldn’t be the first, before you ask.”  She went on, making it abundantly clear she was fully aware what Emily had been thinking.

With that in mind, Emily dropped all pretense as she sighed tiredly.  “Pike, be reasonable, I'll only bring them harm and misery.  But do something for me, would you?  Tell them I said goodbye.  They...deserve that much for all that you’ve done for me these past several days."  With that softly spoken request, Emily shot her right hand out and Far Reached to the nearest tree.  At least, that had been her plan.  What ended up actually happening was a little different however, as she was violently jerked back, forced to take a knee.  Looking down, Emily quickly discovered that a lasso of golden light was now encircling her waist, her arms pinned to her sides.  “What the-?”

On the other end of the glowing rope, stood Pike, her face pulled down into a concerned, understanding frown.  “Now it's  _ your  _ turn to be reasonable, Emily.  I can't just let you run off to face this thing alone.”

“I'm so sorry.” Emily let out a shuddering breath, sinking to her knees as Pike slowly approached her.  “I can't stand the thought of watching anyone else I care for die because of me, or the things I’ve done or haven’t done.”  It was the truth of course, Emily didn’t want anyone else to die because of her, but she wasn’t without a plan.  She’d seen enough of their magical abilities to guess she needed only a momentary lapse in concentration to break her bonds.  The tears she had summoned up weren’t entirely fake though, she realized only after they’d started.

But that didn’t chane the fact that Pike was still getting closer, unaware of the trap she was walking into.  “Shhh, it's going to be alright.  Let’s just get you back inside first, okay?”

While she felt guilty for the ruthless deception, Emily pleadingly looked up  into Pike’s face.  “Thank you....”  She uttered in a hushed voice before lunging forward and firmly pressing her lips against the startled cleric’s.  Then jerked back as she slammed her forehead into Pike’s in the next instant.  “For being your kind, gullible self.”  The resulting clangs and the dull thud of Pike’s head against the ground made Emily wince, but she didn’t let it slow her as she got to her feet as quickly as she could.

Unfortunately for her, Emily quickly realized that not only had the rope _not_ disappeared despite the double whammy of the passionate kiss and the subsequent headbutt, but Pike was once more grinning widely, her right hand having gotten wrapped up in the spiritually charged length of rope when she’d been tripped.  “Nice try, but I _like_ it rough.  I might even let you tie me up next time.”

“I’m afraid I have to decline your tempting offer.”  Emily all but growled in annoyance, before using her Far Reach to try and pull herself away from the diminutive if heavily armored woman.  Despite her hands being tied to her sides, she still had just enough give to aim her open palm towards a distant tree.  But yet again, what ended up happening, much to the Empress’s immense surprise and shock, was a tad different from what she had planned.  Instead of dragging Pike behind her at the very least, Emily ended up turning into a glorified, mystically empowered yo-yo.

The tendril of shadowy Void stuff pulled her away from Pike, as it was supposed to, but the spiritual lasso around her waist didn’t break, while her tendril dissolved when she was yanked back from the nigh immovable object that was Pike Trickfoot.  She only had time to let out a short yelp before she hit the ground hard, her teeth painfully clacking together as the breath was knocked out of her lungs.  “Ooowww….that….was a first.”  She groaned, sprawled out on her front and dazed from the rough landing.  Normally Far Reach allowed her to yank full grown men in heavy armor several feet into the air, or they were dragged right into her waiting arms where she normally choked them into submission.  That wasn’t taking into consideration the number of times she’d used it to get around the rooftops of Karnaca and Dunwall, but never had she’d been so soundly stopped like this before.

“Are we done here, or do you need another lesson?”  Pike sweetly asked as she firmly yanked on the golden lasso tethering her to Emily.  Emily’s only ready response was to cough loudly, gasping for breath as she shook her head.  “Good girl.  At least you’re a faster learner than Grog.”

“I’d hope ‘wheeze’ so.”  Emily coughed again, her ribs sore along with most of her front side, but she was quickly recovering.  She was also trying to get a hold on the sword hilt strapped to her belt, but the rope was tied too tightly now, and she was facing the wrong direction to pull it free anyway.

Not that it would have helped as a familiar pair of boots filled her vision.  “I suggest you give up while you still have a shred of dignity left, darling.  Even  _ we  _ know better than to cross Pike.  And if you stop struggling now, I promise that the strip search will be incredibly pleasant.”

“Can you not flirt in front of me, dear sister?”  Vax groaned from somewhere above and behind her, no doubt perched on the side of a tree like an oversized bird.

“Where’s the fun in that?”  Vex asked right back.

While there was no immediate response to that, Emily still only just heard the soft, near silent footsteps as Vax slowly approached and soon stood next to his twin.  “Ems, be honest, do we  _ really _ have to knock you out,  _ again _ , to knock some sense into you?  Or will you please just calm down and let us talk this shit out?”

Emily didn’t doubt that he would, if that’s what it took, and while it infuriated her to no end that they refused to let her go, she was just as much touched by their immense concern for her wellbeing.  “I'll come quietly.”  She offered after a few seconds of tense silence.

She immediately regretted her word choice when Vex snorted.  “That's not very truthful in my experience,  _ Empress _ .”

“Vex, be kind.”  Percy commanded gently as he walked out of the house with a slight limp in his step, his right hand pressed gingerly into his left side.  “And Pike, I rather like this look you’ve got right now, with our mutual friend helpless before you.  I’ll admit, you’re giving me ideas for a wonderful bola device.”

“Ah geeze guys!  Could you let  _ me  _ bask for five whole seconds before you start another fight?”  Keyleth’s voice rang out from somewhere to Emily’s left side, as a long, strange cape trailed past her line of sight.  “I mean the ceremony was a few hours ago now, but it’s the principle of the thing, ya know?”

“I take full responsibility, Keyleth.”  Emily muttered into the dirt before Pike less than gently yanked her to her feet.  At least now she could reach her belt, but it was too little too late as Pike’s fingers grasped the rope at her back, steering her so that she was forced to look at the group around her.  Keyleth’s hilariously impractical new look providing a nice distraction from her burning shame and guilt.  “However do you manage not to trip over that ridiculous cape?”

“Mantle, it’s called a mantle....”  Keyleth retorted defensively, her brow furrowing.  “And honestly, I’m still figuring that part out, ya know?”

“Ignore her Kiki, you look positively badass, not to mention sexy.”  Vax let his eyes roam approvingly over Keyleth’s new attire before rounding on Emily next.  “And I'll take those, thank you very much.”  With a deftness that would have made her father proud, Vax quickly relieved her of her entire belt in short order before doing the same to the bandolier of elixirs draped across her chest.  Slinging both of them over one shoulder, he took a step back to allow Vex to take up his spot.  “Sister, try to be decent for once eh?”

“I’ll do my best....”   Vex couldn’t have looked more smug if she tried, as she thoroughly, but respectfully, searched Emily over.

“Satisfied?”  Emily asked, once Vex had finished and stepped away with a small hidden arsenal in her grasp.  Mostly a number of various, easily concealed throwing knives, there’d also been a collection of poisoned barbs that Vex handed over to Vax’s waiting hand.

“Very, thanks for asking darling.”  Vex cheekily replied before her smirk vanished in the next instant.  “Oh, wait, I forgot how devious you are.”  She mused as she slipped her hand past Emily's waist and quickly produced a small blade from the back of Emily’s pants, or more appropriately, from the hidden sheath concealed against her left butt cheek.  “ _ Now _ I’m satisfied.”  Vex all but purred as she held up the object in question for Vax to add to the pile.  “Hmm, I should probably check the front too, just to be safe....”

“You can certainly try.”  Emily growled, maintaining her hateful sneer, despite the small shiver that thought sent down her spine.

“Let’s not.”  Keyleth muttered, having gotten uncomfortable enough with where Vex’s hands had wandered already in full view of the group.

“This is gonna be good!  I bet eleventy kajillion gold on her Worshipfulness!”  Grog rumbled as he and Taryon, along with Doty trailing behind them, joined the group at last.  “Wait, don't tell me I missed the whole damn fight?!”

“Sorry Grog.”  Pike offered to the goliath and held up the lasso’s length still around her gauntlet. “Wait, were you just betting against me?”

“Son of a bitch!”  Grog growled and threw his hands up over his head in frustration.  Just as quickly he flinched and blushed when he realized what Pike had said.  “Uh….no?”  He weakly, sheepishly replied.

“So,” Percy began as he made a point to ignore Grog and Pike’s commentary, with a soft clap of his hands which he left folded in front of him, “now that that’s out of the way, Pike?  Lead her over to a bench or something will you?  I could use a seat myself.  That, and I get the feeling we’re going to be here a while.”

“Not to put the last nail in the coffin of your big day Kiki, but maybe we should head to Whitestone  _ now _ , rather than screw around here _ ,  _ where we  _ know  _ someone wants us dead for roughly the thousandth time?”  Vex offered as she sidled up to Percy, allowing him to lean on her shoulder.

“Right.”  Keyleth replied, muttering all the while as she prepared to open a portal.  “And it’s not all bad, I don’t have to be here all the time, and I can still travel.  I asked dad.”  The awkward admission was followed with the increasingly familiar sight of the tree she’d chosen opening up its trunk for the druid.

“What a  _ strong _ leader you'll make.  Whatever will you do when you can't ask your father to make your choices for you anymore?”  Once more, despite her sarcastic, scathing remarks, Emily found herself beneath the large, leafy boughs of the Sun Tree, but just as quickly, she found a new vine had appeared around her upper waist that was quickly joined by several more, ensuring she wasn’t going anywhere now.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that, mostly because I’m too exhausted right now to beat the crap out of you again.  Besides, I don't think you’re comprehending what we’re trying to tell you, so I’m going to make this very simple.”  Keyleth began, the vines that had sprung up around Emily’s shoulders, waist, and lower legs pinning her to the Sun Tree like a target dummy bolted to a piece of wood.  “And funny you should say that about being a leader, when you’re the first to run when things gets rough.  And spare me the line about sacrificing yourself for  _ our  _ benefit, I’ve heard that more times than I want to think about.  It’s ultimately selfish and stupid.  Besides, it doesn’t work anyway.”

Emily gritted her teeth when Grog leaned in close and stared at her darkly.  “I say we leaf her here for the night.  Ha!  Get it?  Because she's tied to a-”

“Grog, you’re not helping.”  Pike admonished him without ever letting her blue eyes leave Emily’s face.  “But you might have a point.  Maybe a little tough love is what our selfish little princess-”

“Empress.”  Emily instantly corrected her with an annoyed scowl.

“Oh?  Really?  It's not like you constantly act like a spoiled brat.”  Pike innocently replied, but the angry gleam in her blue eyes told another story as she put her hands on her hips, her right hand still tangled up in the spiritual lasso despite Emily being tied to the tree.  “But tell me, is it common for royalty to throw themselves uselessly into the fire or is that just a family trait?”

“You're all insane.  Just let me go dammit!”  Emily yelled disbelievingly as she let her eyes move from one member of Vox Machina to the next.  “I don't know what I saw in you in the first place.”

“Now you’re just being mean, darling.”  Vex retorted dryly with a roll of her eyes.

“How’s this for leadership?  All for leaving Emily right where she is tonight?”  Keyleth asked before raising a hand, followed very closely by Vex, Grog, Taryon, and Doty, who simply obeyed its master.

Vax gave Keyleth an exasperated sigh as he pulled out a dagger, and started slicing at the vines restraining Emily.  The lasso dissolved without him having to touch it, since he and Pike were of the same mind.  “We aren’t leaving her tied to a fucking tree, although I can’t blame you all for wanting to do it.”  Before Emily could get a word in however, Vax’s dagger poofed back onto his belt, and his hand immediately shot out, pinning her against the tree once more.  “I am however going to get something out into the open first, since I have a captive audience.  Our mother was killed, burned alive by Thordak the fucking Cinder King, along with our entire fucking village, and.... We. Were.  Not _.  _  There.  Do you understand me?”

“Yes.”  Emily whispered, unable to look away from Vax’s face to save her life.  Because she understood exactly what Vax wanted her to hear.  Not his angry tone, or the bitter words themselves, but the horrible regret in his voice, and the fear in his honest gaze.  And damn him because it was working, each word a fresh blow to her stomach for all of their power and weight.

It didn’t help that tears had begun to spring up in the rogue’s brown eyes, further ensuring she was unable to look away or close her ears against him.  The hand on her shoulder fell away, but she was still rooted to the spot.  “Good.  Now you can go fuck off if you want, or go get some fucking sleep.  And if you aren't here in the morning, know that I honestly won't give a shit.  But if you are, then maybe we can get our heads out of our collective asses and do something about this new horrific shitstorm we’ve become a part of.   _ We _ , Emily, as in not just  _ you  _ anymore.”

“I’ll be here.”  Emily softly whispered, the fight having bled out of her for all intents and purposes.

“What was that?”  Vax demanded as he put a hand up by a sharply pointed ear.

“I’ll be here in the morning.”  Emily promised, a little louder than before after she managed to swallow the lump that had been in her throat.

Vax’s only reply was to glare at her for a moment, before nodding and walking away.  Vex followed close behind him, letting Percy lean on her as they started towards the castle, but the glance she threw Emily’s way revealed the same pain she’d seen on Vax’s face.  But as much as they deserved to hate her for what she’d wrought, somehow they were more angered by her unflinching willingness to abandon them, going so far as to threaten her with an admittedly strange form of imprisonment just to get their point across.  And she was smart enough to figure out why, despite her own swirling emotions and bad memories that had motivated the resulting situation in the first place.

Taryon, strangely enough, didn’t say a word as he started to walk away, leaving Grog alone with her as Pike and the rest followed after him and Doty.  The goliath didn’t say a word for a good long while, but when he did, that booming, gravelly rumble she’d gotten familiar with wasn’t nearly as domineering as it normally was.  “Ya know?  For all the shit we’ve given ya, I expected a bit more loyalty from you, if only because Pike saved your cowardly hide.  And despite wantin’ to leave ya to drown when you first popped up, you’ve grown on me.  So I don’t want ya dying, alone, frightened, and covered in yer own piss and entrails, for nothin’.  Alright?”

“Grog?”  Emily managed to choke out, oddly touched by what he was saying even though part of that had come with a verbal slap to the face.

“Ya heard me.  You got some amazin’ tricks up those sleeves of yours, but so does everyone else I’ve come to call me family.  That’s not why I like ya though.”

“Oh?  Dare I ask?”

“Ask what?”

“Why you like me, Grog.”  Emily explained with a patient chuckle.

“Oh, well that’s easy.  You make Vex happy, plain n’ simple, and I don’t just mean the ridiculously awesome sex you two got up to.  Vax likes helpin’ ‘lost souls’, whatever that means.  Percy likes someone who understands all that sciency crap, and the fucked up shit he and his sister’s gone through.  Keyleth too, in a way, since her mum’s been gone for nearly as long as yours...I think?”  He trailed off uncertainly for a moment before shaking his head, deciding it wasn’t important.  “And despite all that weird Outsider shit you got goin’ for ya, Pike still likes you.  So that means I like you too.  She’s good at the touchy feely stuff.  Like knowin’ who you can trust at your back in a fight, and who's gonna stick a knife in it.  ‘Sides, you got a good heart I can see that me’self, even if you are a bit on the stupid side for my taste.”

“I.... I’m not quite sure how to respond to that.”  And not just because it was a little hard to decipher, but because Grog had hit upon more truth than she had ever expected to hear out of the normally simple minded goliath.

And to make it more apparent she’d sorely underestimated him, Grog surprised her further.  “That’s the problem ain’t it?  You talk, like  _ a lot _ , yet ya don’t think much of jumpin’ off a cliff.”

“You know, in your own  _ very strange  _ way, you're quite wise Grog.”

“Well, I ain't The Grand Poobah Didoinkadoink Of All This And That for nothin’.”  Grog chuckled loudly before slapping a heavy hand on her shoulder.  “Come on you, somethin’ tells me we got a big day tomorrow.”

Despite the fact she was fairly sure someone, most likely Percy, had come up with such a ridiculous ‘title’ for Grog, Emily didn’t have the heart to tell the goliath that.  Not that she was able to find the words to respond to Grog in the first place, too emotionally choked up by everything that had been thrown at her.  The simple, nearly bone crushing, gesture of having Grog’s hand protectively on her no doubt bruised shoulder only further served to drive the point home.  That for all of her impulsive stupidity regarding this affair, she had found a place among this group.  And they weren’t about to let her go without a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She still has a ways to go before she's back to some semblance of normalcy, but Emily has good people around her as she's finding out. Writing Grog's monologue was especially enjoyable, although that part of it was what made me a bit teary eyed, as did Vax's blatant, verbal punch to the face with how their mother died. But it served to get their point across, and to get through Emily's thick skull at last. She's not alone anymore, she's not surrounded by people that are just wanting to use her for their own gains, and that she can fully trust and depend upon this group of broken misfits that are just as screwed up as she is. And now that she'll actually make the damn effort to get to KNOW them, she'll find that out for herself in the days to come.
> 
> Next chapter isn't technically a chapter persay, but I'll probably post it as such since it DOES still play a part in the grand story as a whole. It's good news overall though, mostly lol. You'll have to see for yourselves. See ya!


	10. Interlude:  A Father Never Forgives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this?! A Corvo chapter?! Lol for those that remember, I DID say in a previous chapter that he was alive and well, but I figured it'd be appropriate to show what Corvo's been up to this whole time. But also to start laying the future threads of where I might be taking this story as it continues to unfold. See ya!

**Interlude**

**A Father Never Forgives**

It had been an interesting week.  Having woken up in what was left of the throne room, alone, cold, stiff, and sore as the Outsider’s crooked cock, Corvo Attano had fallen to the unforgiving ground when his marble prison had been dispelled.  How long he lay there, he didn’t know, but a few things hit him when he got unsteadily to his feet after who knew how long of being frozen in stone.  The first thing he took notice of, although hardly the most important, was that the Outsider’s mark was gone from his hand.  It’d been taken by Delilah Copperspoon of all people, so that meant no more sorcery for him, but he could live with that.  He’d been an accomplished swordsman long before he’d taken the deal which had given him the means to free Emily the first time around, fifteen years ago.  Not once, but twice when the so called Loyalist Conspiracy members he’d allied himself with out of necessity had tried to kill him once his job had been accomplished.

The second, once he’d gotten a good look at the throne room itself, was that it was a wreck.  The throne itself had been defaced and corrupted, covered in strange symbols and decorated with grotesque looking skulls, three white ones on the left while two black skulls were embedded in the right.  Something told him that little detail might have been important, if not for what he saw next.  He found it darkly satisfying, seeing Delilah’s stone cold corpse propped up on his daughter’s throne.  “That’s my girl.”  Corvo mused aloud, knowing in his gut that Emily had somehow done this.  That she’d freed Dunwall from Delilah’s tyranny.  His only regret as he dusted himself off was that he hadn’t been able to help her do it.

Which led to the third thing he’d taken notice of in as many seconds.  Emily was nowhere in sight.  To make it worse, that same instinct that told him she’d been responsible for Delilah’s demise, told the Royal Protector that he wouldn’t find his daughter.  A deep dread suddenly seeped into his soul.  She’d have been here, no matter the cost, for his revival.  And yet she wasn’t.  That alone filled him with worry.  No one, if there’d been anyone to see, would later blame him for searching the entirety of Dunwall Tower from top to bottom, occasionally finding the remains of the clockwork soldiers Emily had left broken in her wake, or the surviving witches of Delilah’s coven.  These powerless women, they were quick to realize and wail incessantly about when they figured it out, Corvo left alone unless they got in his way, in which case a quick punch to the face usually took care of the problem.

But it wasn’t until he stumbled across one of Delilah’s now lifeless statues, statues she had used to likely communicate to her minions, that Corvo’s restraint finally snapped.  Just seeing the vague similarity to Jessamine and Emily’s faces in Delilah’s would have been enough on its own, but the state of the Tower, the broken bodies of the countless dead Overseers that had likely tried to retake the it, the innocent servants and soldiers whose only crime had been being loyal to Emily, and the senseless destruction in every hall and chamber of his second home, had pushed the Royal Protector beyond his considerable breaking point.

Picking up a bronze candle stick that was almost as tall as he was, a roaring Corvo slammed the metal pole into the side of the now lifeless statue, tearing it off of its pedestal with a resounding clang that was followed by the crack of breaking marble.  “Jessamine’s half sister or not, you didn’t deserve the throne!”  Corvo ferally hissed as he vented his fury upon what quickly turned into a pile of unrecognizable stone pieces.  “You had no right to defile this place, witch!”  Clang went the candle stick again, which had an increasingly large bend to its formerly straight shaft.  “Daud should have gutted you when he had the chance!”

Having brought his makeshift weapon down one last time, while unknowingly scaring off the few witches that had been entertaining the thought of trying to slit his throat while he’d been distracted, Corvo collapsed to a heap on the stained stone floor.  He was too old for such passionate outbursts, but damn it had felt good to get that out of his system.  Wheezing and panting from the exertion, Corvo let out a bone weary sigh as he ran a black sleeve across his forehead.  “Need to find….anyone that might be alive….and who doesn’t want to kill me, preferably.”

"Corvo Attano,” the voice was whisper soft and had no clear source as it echoed through the empty halls, but it had Corvo bolting to his feet in a flash, “son of Serkonos, lover to an Empress, father to a second.  Come, find me.  I would speak with you, face to face.”

“Who or what are you?”  He asked, as he felt a presence across the hall from where he’d found one of the statues.  It was then that he saw a second, but he was sure there’d been only one a few moments ago.  Whatever sorcery was at play here, it didn’t have the touch of the Void about it.  He’d had the Mark of the Outsider for fifteen years, he knew that much for certain.  He leaped back, instincts honed to a razor’s edge, blazed as the ‘statue' turned to face him, its face now transformed into a white porcelain mask of living flesh.

To make it stranger still, the statue itself became almost fluid in its movements, as if someone had peeled away the stone to reveal the translucent form of a darkly clothed woman underneath.  “Dishonored, reviled, redeemed, glorified, hailed as a hero and a merciful assassin.  You are a contradiction, your thread impossibly entangled in so many others." Corvo, for his part, only blinked once when the white porcelain mask appeared in front of him in the inexplicably dark hallway.  He'd begun to suspect something was amiss when the lights went out, but even he hadn't expected this.  But he hadn't made the rank of Royal Protector by startling easy.

It helped he could sense this being's amused curiosity, curiosity that didn't put his hackles up.  "You know my name, I'd know yours in return."  He rumbled softly, his Serkonos accent having never faded despite his years among Dunwall’s people.

"A man of few words, yet so direct.  Like you, I've gone by many names, but my current one is the Raven Queen." The way her face moved said what he'd taken as a mask wasn't truly a mask, but it was a distant thought as a similarly pale, porcelain hand appeared in front of him.  A single thread appeared between her fingers, which she moved in such a way that the white thread became a crude circle.  It was within the circle that he saw an image begin to take shape.  "A glimpse, to assure you of what you already know in your heart, Corvo."

Only when he saw Emily's face appear within the small window did Corvo's calm break, if only slightly.  "This is real?  She's alive?!"

"Yes, to both your questions, Lord Corvo Attano." The Raven Queen replied as she widened the circle as much as her fingers allowed. "She still has a long road ahead of her, but she will return if she is successful, that is all I can say.  All you need do, is ensure she has a home to return to, but you aren't alone in your struggles.  You have more allies than you know, in the city of your birth, and here."

"I don't know who you are, or what you are," Corvo began as she dispelled the 'window' between her fingers, "but thank you for showing me this.  And tell her she needn't worry, I'll keep this place together, somehow.  I haven't been a Royal Protector for nearly thirty years by sleeping on the job.”

The Raven Queen nodded her head before she started to fade away, the statue returning to its previous form of Delilah’s smug face.  "Keep their council, Corvo.  But beware the Outsider, for he is no longer an ally, if he ever truly was." The lights flared to life then, and the momentary blindness was enough of a distraction that when Corvo looked again, the Raven Queen had disappeared.

Coming awake with a gasp, Corvo rapidly looked towards the other side of the hall, and saw there was no statue.  No pale faced being, no sign that there’d been anything there at all save the banner of the Kaldwin family crest.  A pair of golden swans on either side of a crown on an aquamarine background.  The only thing the Raven Queen left behind to say she’d ever been there at all was a single, jet black raven feather that fell into his open hand.

“At least she was direct.”  He muttered as he closed his hand over the feather.  As much as he hated to admit it, Corvo’s search for loyal survivors, which he  _ did  _ eventually find, revealed something he had already begun to suspect.  Wherever Emily was now, she was far from his reach, and no amount of traveling or turning the Empire upside down would change that.  And as much as he wanted to do that exact thing, Corvo also came to the realization that if as much time had passed as he feared, then he had a far more important task to tend to first.  That was taking care of the people of Dunwall, and getting things back on track. Which wouldn’t be an easy task, if the state of the Tower was any indication of how bad things had likely gotten in the time he’d been imprisoned in marble.

The following several days confirmed most of everything Corvo had been afraid of, but he had also found some good news as well.  Getting in touch with Anton Sokolov had revealed a large portion of the story, and the truth of the conspiracy that had led to the coup.  Despite the occasional if amusing diversion by Anton as he went onto a related tangent, Corvo eventually got the truth from the old natural philosopher, and if he hadn’t gone through a similar ordeal personally, he’d have found most of the tale hard to swallow.  As it was, he found it quite easy to believe that the Crown Killer had been an innocent woman, tricked into poisoning herself by the Duke.  That Emily had successfully dismantled most of Delilah’s coven without leaving a pile of bodies behind her, dealing with Breanna Ashworth by stripping her of her powers, of destroying Kirin Jindosh’s mind with his own devices, and saving Aramis Stilton from madness spelled out that Corvo’s example had firmly stuck with his daughter.  As for the Duke of Serkonos, Emily had replaced him with his own body double, a man Corvo fully intended to meet with if she had seen fit to leave him alive to run the city of his birth.

Despite wanting to see Emily for himself, to confirm the Raven Queen’s story for himself and, most of all, to simply hold Emily in his arms again, Corvo felt hopeful that he would get that chance.  That the rightful Empress would sit her throne again, now that it actually looked like a proper throne.  And that one day things would once again slowly return to normal.  But for now, he had his responsibilities as the Royal Protector, the acting leader for the Empire until that day came.  And he wasn’t about to dishonor his post again.  But more importantly, he wouldn’t fail his daughter a second time.  And if he needed a reminder, he only had to look at the raven feather he kept in the pocket of his long black jacket, which he had placed inside the velvet lining his infamous mechanical black mask that had become a part of his legendary status even among the venerated Royal Protectors that had come before him.  He might have been slightly hesitant to put on his mask if he’d known what that feather would do to it.  As it was, he never saw the dark black if benevolent, for him, pulse that passed through the gears and optics of his mask…..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol well, destroying that Delilah statue might have been a little much, but it felt pretty good honestly, once my dear friend reminded me that Corvo is still human despite being a Royal Protector as well. And while I don't know yet just what the Raven Queen's done to his mask, it'll likely end up being important later. Ideas are welcome though, as are your wonderful comments of course. For now, it'll probably be a few days before the next chapter comes along, but I hope this double whammy is sufficient to keep you folks happy for a while. See ya!


	11. The Truth Shall Get You Drunk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something I forgot to mention, but I didn't realize I had used the name of the game in the Raven Queen's little monologue to Corvo until after I had posted the Interlude lol. Jokes aside, this chapter dives into each member of Vox Machina a bit, revealing things from both the show and the pre-stream, although I've only seen the show in any great detail so most of everything here is from that, that they'd rather keep to themselves as you'll soon discover. It does get a little dark and touchy at times, but it'll get better, and it's not NEARLY as bad as the last couple of chapters have been. Enjoy!

**Chapter 10**

**The Truth Shall Get You Drunk**

She fell into bed shortly after the walk up to the castle in comfortable silence.  And while it was partially because of the time difference, mostly because she’d been dead tired in more than one way, she didn’t rise when morning came as she had since that first day.  Even when she vaguely sensed someone peering into her room at some point, Emily barely stirred.  When she did finally get up, Emily found that her belt and elixir bandolier had been returned, neatly placed on the writing desk with a note written by Vax.

While his handwriting was not nearly as legible as Percy’s, she’d gotten quite skilled at reading such messy scrawl since her father had terrible handwriting as well.  But the rank of Royal Protector came with more power and responsibility than most people would ever know, so it was only natural that he had had to learn to how to write and dictate reports for the various people of the Tower.  The only person he took orders from, at least from an official capacity, was her, so naturally most of those same reports found their way to her desk.  Which, to make a long story short, meant she had had to learn how to decipher his truly horrendous handwriting.

But as far as this particular note was concerned, it simply said,

“I’m glad you’re still here Ems.

Half your shit may or may not be booby trapped.

PPS.  Have fun figuring out which is which.”

Emily couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her even as she cast her belt a dubious look, as if she expected the possible trap Vax had left to jump up and bite her.  She was certain that it’d be harmless, if vastly annoying, whatever it was he’d done.  She was right to assume as much when she tried to open one of her pouches, and found that the clasps had been glued in place.  Each and every single one of them.  “Clever, pointy eared bastard.”

“I know.”  Vax called out from behind the door, having been waiting for her to notice.  “Here, don't drink it, you'll go blind.”  He warned in all seriousness, before he carelessly chucked a small bottle in her direction.

She caught it and offered him a brief smirk before using her Far Reach to slam the door in his face.  “I’ll be getting you back for this, just so you’re fully aware.”  She called out to him as she got to work in undoing the ‘trap’.

“I won’t hold my breath, your royal Tardiness.”  Vax managed to get out through the bout of laughter that had overtaken him.

“That's two!”  Emily called back, smiling wider despite her efforts to try and maintain a stern facade.  The first belt pouch was finally unstuck about that point with a second well on its way as she methodically worked the extremely potent solvent into the clasps.  More important, even though she tried not to think about it as her eyes began to tear up from the fumes, was that this was a much needed distraction.  She planned to tell the group a few things, things she probably should have discussed a while ago really, and hope that things would still be alright between them once she did.  But for the moment, she was happy to carry on with Vax as she applied the solvent he’d given her to take care of the glue he’d left in her pouch clasps, the cheeky bastard.

Working on the fourth in short order, Emily paused when she heard the door open ever so slightly.  She didn’t look up as Vax’s soft footsteps passed right behind her before she heard the creak of the bed a moment later.  She did stop though when he spoke up.  “Never thought I'd say this, but Grog, almost damn near eloquently for him, said it best for all of us Ems.”

She didn’t look at him or ask how he knew what Grog had said to her last night.  But she didn’t have to, as she stood there with her shoulders hunched and head bowed.  “I know….and I’m fully aware I’m not the only one that’s had a difficult path in life.”  She had seen her share of trials in her journey through Karnaca, both in her own ordeals and in the faces of those she had passed on the street.  But even before, she knew she had been extremely fortunate, but at the same time, she had almost lost sight of that truth with how she’d been acting last night.

“I already figured you’d realized that yourself, Emily, but I hope you’ve also realized that you don’t have to stand alone anymore.”  She didn’t move, at first, when she felt his hand on her shoulder, but when he started to pull away, she reached up and gently grasped him just above the wrist.  He stayed put, silent but for the soft rustle of his feather covered pauldrons and his breath just behind and to her right.  It didn’t last long, but she felt a little better when she let him pull his hand away.

Only when he’d left, the door gently closing behind him, did Emily allow the tears to fall freely down her face.  Despite allowing herself to finally and truly mourn for all that she’d lost two and a half months ago, and beyond, Emily found, much to her internal surprise, that she was glad she hadn’t been so easily allowed to leave.  That these people, as eccentric as they were, had made it abundantly clear that they weren’t going to let her throw her life away in what would have been an inevitably wasted effort.  Oh she would have fought to the very last breath, she might have even won, but she most assuredly would have died in the endeavor.

So it was that near complete strangers, something she planned to fix the first chance she had now that she was actually thinking in such terms, had essentially saved her life and become a part of it, and it was not lost on her.  And while she was still terrified of losing them, as she’d lost so many already, Emily knew one thing for certain if nothing else.  She wasn’t going anywhere without them by her side.  Not now, not after they’d stopped her from making a fatal mistake and had asked for nothing in return.

It took her a few minutes to compose herself, as well as getting the rest of her belt pouches free of the glue, but eventually Emily made her way downstairs, feeling not quite lighter exactly, but she felt better all the same as she found her way to the dining hall.  She only paused when she saw all of Vox Machina sitting on one side of the long table, facing the door she burst through.  “Oh….good morning.”

“Good afternoon sleepy head.”  Vex purred as she ran a hand over Trinket’s furry head.  The quiet, rumbling grunts and growls as he nuzzled his head into the ranger’s hand were largely ignored by the rest of the group as Vex smiled languidly.  “Feeling better?”

“Y-yes, thank you.”  Emily replied uncomfortably, knowing full well what Vex was truly asking as she hesitated between the door and the table.

“So, are we doin’ this intervaginal thing or what?”  Grog asked from one side of the table, earning a number of shocked and startled looks from the rest of his friends.

Pike was the first to recover as she reached up and patted Grog on the arm.  “That’s _intervention_ Grog, not... whatever you said.  In fact, forget it, but yes, we are.”

Blinking back an odd mix of embarrassment and confusion, Emily instinctively took a step back towards the door. “That won’t be-”

“Says the one with red, puffy eyes.”  Vex retorted dryly.  “And need I remind you who wanted to run off alone to face your evil bitchy counterpart?”

“Indeed!  And I think I know a way to reduce the chances of that cowardly foolishness recurring.”  Taryon offered with a huge smug grin encompassing the majority of his face.

“Oh.  In that case, just hand me a glass of wine and kill me now.”  Emily muttered under her breath as she pictured what horrors the moneyed oaf might have in store for her.

“That might still happen before the day’s over, one never knows these things.”  Percy happily told her, although the dark gleam in his blue eyes said he didn’t think it was all that funny.  He at least looked in far better health today, which helped alleviate a little of her personal guilt and shame from what she’d said to them all last night.

“Ahem, what I _humbly_ propose is this: All of us should get to know Emily a bit better, as you did with me.”  Taryon began before something dawned on him, because he was quick to add, “Although, maybe without the brutal beating to coerce the truth out of her.”

“I don’t know, personally I’m all for throwing her around in the dirt again.”  Keyleth muttered into her wine glass.  When she felt eyes on her from those closest to her, Emily included, Keyleth shrugged as she set her glass down.  “What?  You were thinking it too, I’m just the one that isn’t polite enough to keep it to myself for a change.”

“Gods help us, but I do believe Tary actually had a stray sensible thought.”  Vax stated, looking mildly horrified at the idea that Taryon had said something intelligent for a change.

“As strange as that might be,” Emily began, the little smirk that had appeared on her face disappearing as she hesitantly finished walking to the table and taking a seat across from the group, “I do agree with him, except for two important caveats.”

“Oh?  And what’s that?”  Pike asked, genuinely curious to see what she had to say.

Emily took what she could get after last night’s selfishly motivated debacle.  She was grateful they were allowing her a second chance at all, and she wasn’t about to waste it.  “One, that I might not be able to tell you all the things, for now, that have motivated some of my actions thus far.  Which I freely admit, if not for your timely intervention, would have more than likely ended only one way.  That said, I do promise to take all of you into my confidence.  Hopefully sooner rather than later, but for now just know that I am grateful for you stopping me.  Even if... I didn’t seem very gracious about it at the time.”

“Oh….”  Keyleth blinked, having not expected what sounded like a sincere apology.

“And what’s the second term of this arrangement?”  Percy asked, his gaze having softened since Emily figured he had already guessed what she was going to ask.

“It’s quite simple really, but no less important.  You wish to know about me, but that goes both ways.”  She began, before slowly folding her hands over top each other on the table, her gaze downcast as she let the words slowly come.  Words that she should have said a while ago.  “Since waking up in Veshrah, with all of you standing over me, I have done little to allow or encourage any of you to truly understand me.  Nor have I even bothered ask what drives any of you.  What makes you who you are, or why for that matter.  As an Empress, I can’t keep my people at arm’s length, not if I wish to rule justly and fairly, but as a person it’s even a worse crime, even if it’d be impossible for me to know every single one of my subjects.  But you deserve better than that from me, especially since you did save my life without having any idea about who or what I was at the time.”  This she leveled more at Grog than the rest, and was rewarded with a sheepish grin from the goliath while the others shared equally shocked or mildly surprised glances with each other.  “Grog, please, by all means, unburden your soul to me.”

“Um, right... Not quite sure what that means, but if you mean share how fucked up I am?  Well….I have a big mayo problem.”  The shamefaced half giant quietly admitted as he produced a familiar large, positively reeking jug at his side.  While it wasn’t exactly what Emily had had in mind, it was a….strangely amusing start.

“You don't say?  And here I thought you always smelled that particular mix of sour and rancid, Greg.”  Taryon informed him with an unfazed shrug of his gleaming shoulders.

“Uh….right.”  Shaking her head after that odd interruption, Emily was quick to turn her gaze elsewhere.  “What I’m trying to say, in short, is that I’m sorry.  I just simply want to know you better, not hear your darkest-”

“Too late, mind if I unburden a little?  I'll take that pissed off frown as a yes.”  Vax was quick to happily inform her, slouching comfortably in his seat as he gave her a lopsided smirk.  “I once shaved off half of our resident mayonnaise addict’s beard for shits and giggles.”

“Asshole!”  Grog grumbled into one giant gray hand, pretending to cough although it did little to cover up the curse.

“I stole this lovely flying broom from a nice man who was just trying to help us.”  Vex managed to confess as she lovingly stroked said broom, without looking the slightest bit guilty about the deed in question.  “It was from this lovely dragonborn fellow we met up by a volcano of all places.”

“Don't forget our new flying carpet.”  Vax was quick to point out, much to his twin’s chagrin as she rounded on him.

“Yes, which we needed to _replace_ the original flying carpet since _you_ let the old one drop into a pit of acid.”  She shot right back before punching him in the arm.

Percy decided to chime in before the twins could get anymore rambunctious. Pushing his glasses up his nose, the gunslinger showed his first hint of discomfort as he crossed his arms over his chest, feigning to be in thought for a moment.  “Oh, my turn already?  Very well.  I may have permanently disfigured a rather unfortunate young coachmen’s hand.  I still feel bad about it, if I'm being entirely truthful.”

“I’d hope so, even if Orthax was kinda pushing you to do it.”  Keyleth was kind enough to elaborate for Emily’s benefit even if it left her with a lot more questions, and to remind Percy he wasn’t entirely off the hook.

“YOUR SOUL IS FORFEIT!  That bit was priceless!”  Grog cackled, but not before making nearly everyone jump out of their seats at his rather loud imitation of their now mortified gunslinger.

“Yes...I did get a bit weird that night didn’t I?”  He muttered softly in reply before just as quickly perking up, his blue eyes shooting towards Grog’s face.  “But on that embarrassing note, I think it’s your turn Grog?  Since I doubt mere poor nutrition cuts the mustard here.”

“Shit.” Grog’s face scrunched up in thought as Emily could _almost_ see him dragging the memory from the shallow depths of his mind.  Shallow perhaps, but far from empty.  “There was this badass sword I had right?  Wicked lookin’ thing, made me all big and buff, except there was...a teensy weensy lil problem with it.”

“It killed him.”  Pike was more than happy to add for him, all while she gave Grog a motherly scowl.

“Let me guess.  It was somehow cursed?”  Emily asked, the concept not entirely unknown to her since most of the Outsider runes and whale bone charms she’d come across were similarly capable of inflicting harm on the unwary.  The only reason she was alright was because her strength of will was considerable, making her immune to their corruptive influences.

“Like a hag’s panties.”  Vax muttered at being reminded of the unpleasant memory.

“It didn’t help it had a hungry, malevolent spirit inside the blade that bound the wielder to its will.  Grog was still, mostly, his own person, but some of his actions were motivated by the blade’s unending desire for bloodshed.”  Pike elaborated, and while it left Grog looking shamefully down at the table, she reached up as high as she could and grasped his arm firmly in a show of affection.  “But we were able to break its hold on him and save his life.  Right big guy?”

“Yeah, but not before it hurt you Pike.”  Grog muttered sadly, unwilling to look up.

“I see.”  Emily mused, before an idea hit her and she had to fight the urge to smile.  “Grog.  Hold out your hand.”  Although she  couldn't help wincing in disgust at his goo covered palm.  “Your other hand please.”  After a bit of momentary confusion, Grog hesitantly held out his left, non spoiled mayo encrusted hand.  “Good, now I want you to do something for me.”  Ignoring the curious looks she was getting, she slapped a familiar looking hilt in his massive palm.  “Guard that for me, would you?  And don't worry, it's not cursed, as far as I know.”  She added with a wry grin, at seeing the surprised look on Grog’s face.

“Wait what?”  Grog scratched his bald head as he gingerly turned the fancy hilt this way and that in his free hand.  “Isn’t this your sword?”  He asked, subtly swinging it by his ear with an expectant frown.  “Hello?”

“It belongs to the Royal Protector, yes,” Emily softly but firmly corrected the goliath, while explaining to the rest of the group the important difference, “but it was never meant for me.  It’s my father’s sword, a sword he used to free me from those that had once sought to usurp my throne when I was ten years old.  And yes, I will be wanting that back at the end of our chat.”  She was quick to point out.

“What you gonna trade for it?”  Grog asked, and while his big gray eyes lit up at the prospect of getting something from her, Emily and the rest of the group could see he was genuinely curious to see what she’d be willing to give up.

“My undying promise never to smother you in your sleep, for one.”  Emily stated flatly, her gaze hardening even as she fought the urge to smirk at the goliath’s slightly uncomfortable expression.

“Sounds good.”  A nervous Grog muttered through pinched lips, before a quiet fart inexplicably escaped him.  “Uh ‘ahem’!  I mean what else you got?”

“Also a promise I won’t leave this group without that sword, and since it belongs in the hand of a Royal Protector, that means I won’t be going anywhere without you.”  Grog gaped when the words slowly forced their way into his skull, and it was then that Emily finally allowed the smile she’d been holding back to spread across her face.  “You heard that right.”

“Oh boy.”  Percy breathed out, he hardly the only one touched by the heartfelt proposition that had just been dropped on their collective laps even as his blue eyes gleamed with wry humor.  “You realize you just inflated his ego to astronomical proportions right?”

“It’s a small price to pay to show that I’m serious about seeing this through to the bitter end.”

“Wow.  Me?  A Royal Protector?  I mean, it's not as cool as my other title, but, I'm honored by your- Holy shit!” Grog shouted as he accidentally activated the blade, nearly chopping two of his fingers off in the process.  Just as quickly, Grog relaxed and beamed brightly despite his badly bleeding hand.  “Fuckin’ hell that was AWESOME!”

“Grog!”  Keyleth shrieked as she jumped out of her seat, having gotten splattered by the spray of crimson.  “My mantle!”  She moaned and tried to wipe at the red dots that now covered most of her long cape.  “Pike, take care of his hand will you before he decorates the whole table?”

“A little added color would do your complexion good.  Your Highness.”  Emily devilishly smirked before she took a sip of wine, only slightly guilt ridden as gleeful Grog continued to wave her father's sword around.  It looked like a toothpick compared to his massive arm, as Pike darted back and forth, trying to clutch at his wounded hand.

Eventually she settled for throwing her golden lasso around his upper arm and dragging his hand down that way, pinning it to the table.  Once she’d taken care of the cut, she grabbed Grog by his short, curly silver beard so they were eye to eye.  “Now you be careful with that sword, it’s not a toy Grog.”

“I will, just got a little too excited is all.”  He muttered once he’d been properly reprimanded.  Pike let his arm, and his beard, go, allowing Grog to resume swinging the blade, albeit with a little less enthusiasm now.

“What's that?  Of course we'd love to hear from you next Pike!” Vex cheered with a glowing smile, that apparently not even a gnome sized death glare could dissipate.

“Damn it.”  Pike pouted as she sat back down.  But just as quickly she shrugged and let out a slightly sad sigh of acknowledgment.  “Well….there might have been a time in the Underdark I’m not particularly proud of.”  She offered hesitantly, cluing Emily into the simple fact that this was a little bit of a touchy subject for her.

Something Vax was more than happy to poke at in typical Vax fashion.  “No credit for partial answers, Pickles.”

“Fine.  But you're going next, that lame ass beard story doesn’t count.”  Pike threw towards the rogue, her narrowed blue eyed glare daring him to refuse her.

Vax merely shrugged off the menacing glare he was receiving and said, “Fair enough.”

Despite herself, Emily couldn’t help but give Vax what he quickly surmised was the same look she likely reserved for a target, and if not for the concern for their mutual friend he could see in her brown eyes, he might have been a lot more concerned for his continued existence as she said, “Actually, I'm rather curious what a scoundrel like you would have to hide.”

“But, Pike hasn't even-"

“Her sentence is hereby commuted, for the moment.”  Pike stuck out her tongue at Vax as Emily ‘passed sentence’ on the rogue.

“So you want to play that game, I guess I can keep up.”  Vax mused as he held up a finger, silently telling Emily at least that he was keeping score before his smirk visibly sagged.  “I might have learned a few tricks from the Clasp, our local thieves guild before you ask, in what’s left of Emon.  Except no one leaves the Clasp, not without making a pretty big statement, or doing one last favor for them to settle things.  And my charming sister had run afoul of-"

“No.”  Vex stated flatly.

“Sister, the point of this is to be hon-"

“I don't give a shit about your _point_ brother.” Vex hissed as she tossed aside her plate with a loud clatter when it hit the floor.

In a desperate attempt to prevent further things being thrown about, Taryon was quick to wave his arms around to get the group’s attention before saying, “You know what, it's possible this wasn’t the best idea.  Perhaps a nice game of Charades?  Doty is an excellent player!”

“Shut. Up. Tary.  You know what, you can go next darling.  I'm sure we'll all be riveted....” Vex hissed as she stuck out her jaw and rested a hand on her chin.

And just as quickly, Taryon turned pale as a sheet as the spotlight was thrust at him in the next instant.  “Oh dear, I um, seem to have lost one of my more dangerous diamonds!  I better check the hall, and every other room I've been in today.  Doty, come along.”  And just like that, Taryon scurried off with Doty obediently following in his wake before anyone could think to stop him.

“Well that about fucking figures.”  Vex grumbled once the double doors had slammed shut behind him.  “Probably wouldn’t have gotten an honest answer out of him anyway.”

Emily had since come to the realization that the only way this conversation was going to remain civil would be to utterly distract and embarrass the twins.  With that in mind, she loudly cleared her throat before saying the following, “I know it isn't much of a secret, but Vex was quite effective at turning my legs to jelly right in the middle of screaming her name.”

“Ugh, really?”  Vax groaned more to Vex than Emily.  “Nearly as bad as walking in on you and Percy.”

“Don’t remind me.”  Percy mock grumbled to the rogue.

“I could stand to hear a little more.”  Grog rumbled approvingly, although whether he meant Emily or Percy’s time together with the ranger, none of them could say without further inquiry.  And no one was about to ask.

“I, um, don't think compliments count darling.  No matter how mortifying they may be in _public_.”  Having said that, overly exaggerating the last word,Vex groaned and thunked her head against the table, where she remained.  “Fine….just get it over with, brother.”

Vax hesitated just long enough to lovingly pat his sister on her shoulder.  “Long story short, I kidnapped a rather nasty person and brought him to the Clasp, where I can only imagine they had something not very pleasant in mind for him.  But I ensured her safety.  Not my finest moment, but it’s one I’d do again, because this one’s worth it.”

“Thanks brother.”  Vex muttered as Trinket nuzzled up into her side, his rough tongue gingerly flicking over her cheek.  She immediately sat upright and groaned at the slobber now covering her face, but that didn’t stop the ranger from hugging the bear around his thick, furry neck.  “Oh alright, I love you too.”

“I guess I’ve delayed long enough.”  Pike sighed again, just as Keyleth began to open her mouth.  “Or did you want to go first Keyleth?”  She asked, both because she was still trying to stall Emily guessed, but also because Pike was just being kind, as usual.

Unsurprisingly, Keyleth was all too happy to let Pike go ahead of her.  “Nah,  you can go first.  Besides, your moment is kinda minor compared to the one I thought up, ya know?”

Despite their differences, Emily very nearly let Keyleth off the hook, but before she could find the words that would end this game of theirs, Pike reached over and patted Keyleth on the shoulder as Vax hugged her around her waist.  “It was a long time ago.”

“Maybe but that doesn’t change how I feel about it.”  Keyleth replied quietly.  While Emily had no idea what she was holding back, it was painfully apparent that Pike and the others knew where her mind had wandered.

“Besides, it's good practice, being able to look back on something objectively.”

“I can completely agree with that.”  Emily quietly replied in turn before leveling her gaze on Pike.  “And you’re correct, you’ve avoided the question long enough.”

“Alright,” Pike acquiesced before folding her hands in front of her, ”when I was young, I broke a window in our home.  And before I could say anything, Grog took the blame, and a loud, sternly worded lecture from Wilhelm, for me.  And I never told anyone the truth, until now.”  Looking up to Grog, Pike asked a question that’d been bugging her for a long time.  “Why did you do that Grog?  You knew it would have gone better for me than you.”

“That's easy, I knew I could take it.  One look at that chubby, guilty lil face, I knew what I had to do.  ‘Sides, you put me back together after that whole thing with my asshole uncle, o’ course I’d help you Pikey.”

While Emily had a feeling there was something much more personal to the cleric she hadn’t touched upon save for a vague hint earlier, she didn’t push for more information.  Besides, it was still revealing about the woman, what she had eventually shared, and that was the whole point of this exercise honestly.

“Huh, and here I thought the worst thing you’ve...nevermind.  Point being, I didn’t think you were such a little rebel, Pike.”  Keyleth chuckled as Pike smiled up at her, her cheeks rosy from the confession, but Keyleth had since begun to fidget nervously with her fingers.  “I guess I might as well get into the mess with Raishan, since it’s still pretty recent for me.”

“Kiki....  How the fuck is any of what that scaly, deceiving bitch did your fault?”

“What I felt and what I was willing to do to see her dead qualifies to me Vax.”  Keyleth retorted hotly, her green eyes flaring at the half elven rogue at her side.  “And honestly, if not for having you guys around, I might have wound up a hell of a lot worse off, assuming I didn’t end up dead between here and Zephra.”

“I can certainly understand allowing one's own hatred of an enemy to consume them.”  And Emily certainly could relate to that feeling as she looked down at her branded hand.  “Vengeance can be a powerful motivator for anyone, but it can corrupt even the noblest of people if it’s not properly contained.”

“Which perfectly leads us back to you, look at that.”  Percy mused innocently, but he wasn’t fooling anyone.  “And as you so aptly pointed out, your previous confession is rather common knowledge I'm afraid.”

Emily nodded quietly, and began wracking her brain for something to share.  “Hmm, well I _did_ stick a frog in an old grandfather clock when I was eleven.  Father had to rescue it after the maids tried to set it free.  You can bet I got an earful.”

“Amusing, but a little too small time for my taste.”  Vax dryly stated, while silently demanding something a little more closer to home for the Empress.

“I think it’s cute.”  Keyleth replied, her gaze vacant as she tried to envision Emily as a little girl.

Emily shrugged as she took a sip of her wine.  “It’s only fair I share more anyway, since you were kind enough to share so much already.”  She said, addressing Vax’s remark without looking directly at him.  She had plenty of things she could choose from, but there was one that stood out in her memory in that particular moment.  “Barring Delilah, while I didn’t kill any of those personally responsible for the coup, there was at least one whose fate was worse than a quick, clean death.  Kirin Jindosh, you could say he was a contemporary of Anton Sokolov’s, but his moral compass didn’t point north in the slightest.  He was responsible for the creation of the clockwork soldiers that were used to cut down so many innocent people, both in Karnaca, and in Dunwall.  So when I finally broke into his clockwork mansion, the hallways and rooms able to move and shift about with the toss of a lever, I used his own devices to render him a simple minded fool.  As I was….walking away, he begged me to kill him, knowing that something had been taken from him, something he knew he’d never get back.”

While it was clear that Emily hadn’t taken satisfaction from dealing with Kirin in such a fashion, that didn’t stop Keyleth from grinning and nodding her approval.  “Nice!  Err, I mean, so in essence, you Feeble Minded the sadistic bastard.  Okay, I might be starting to like you.  A little.”

“I don’t think she’s taking your praise as a compliment Kiki.”  Vax muttered from the side of his mouth.

“Damn.  That is stone cold.” Grog, giving her a somber nod, commended their regal assassin.  “A bit messed up, but still awesome.”  He said as he tossed the sword’s hilt back to Emily who casually caught the blade before collapsing it just as quickly and sticking it back on her belt.

“Yes, truly enlightening.  But I can tell when someone is saving the best, or in this case, the darkest of their deeds, for last.”  Percy stated with a knowing glance as he gestured for Emily to continue.  “You did borrow my glowing bride-to-be after all.”

Emily needed another drink before she got into what he was asking about, but that didn’t stop her from giving the nobleman a scathing glare from over the rim of her glass.  And as much as she wanted to argue that Vex had come to her, she merely sighed, letting it go.  “Since you put it that way, I could remind you that reading someone’s personal thoughts would be considered cheating.”

Percy smiled thinly and shrugged at the veiled rebuttal.  “Perhaps, but if it makes you feel better, Cassandra destroyed my copy, which means your thoughts have been your own for a while now.  And honestly, I’m kind of glad she did, in retrospect, since this is so much more….personal.”

“And I'm glad to know that your sister is the one in charge of maintaining your family's honor.”  Emily grumbled as she helped herself to a fresh glass of wine, needing the alcohol since she didn’t plan to go back on her word.  But that didn’t mean she had to be completely sober.

“Wow, damn Percy, I think she just gone and cut your man bits off.”  Grog rumbled, grinning cheekily down at the gunslinger who had remained largely unaffected by the insult.

“I came to the realization a long time ago that my honor is beyond redemption, and I’m quite alright with that.”  Was all he’d say on the matter at the present time.

Once she’d taken her seat again, Emily wasted no time in downing the entirety of her glass.  The group watched on in horrid fascination as she turned the empty mug upside down and slammed it on the table’s surface before she launched into her story.  “I killed a good man….someone that had been a guard of the Watch for years.  But it wasn’t without reason, because….one of the Outsider’s ‘gifts’ was a magical artifact.”  Percy immediately perked up at that, but Emily kept going, afraid that if she stopped she’d never be able to finish.  “This artifact was able to reveal things when used on a person, and no one else could see it, or hear its secrets, except me.”

“What was the artifact?”  Keyleth asked quietly, the look on her face telling Emily that she was dreading the answer.

Emily was dreading revealing it, although Percy already knew what it was, she was sure.  “My mother’s heart, crafted into this mechanism of dead flesh and clockwork parts.  It was….designed as a cruel joke, but with purpose, from the Outsider.”  The quiet gasps from Vex, Keyleth, and the startled looks from Vax and Taryon, who had since walked back to his seat, were distantly noticed as Emily ran her hands along her empty glass, spinning it back and forth slowly between her palms.  “While this guard was a good man, he did have a dark secret that no one knew about.  One that my mother’s heart revealed to me when I dared to use the magic imbued in it for the first time.  But after having seen my father be turned to stone, and escaping Dunwall Tower after the massacre that unfolded around me, that secret was enough to send me charging at this man, sword in hand.  He’s….one of the few people I’ve ever killed, but he was also the first.”

“You don't have to answer this.  But, if he was as decent a man as you say, why did you kill him then?”  Keyleth quietly asked, feeling guiltier by the second, but unable to fight her natural, if sometimes morbid, curiosity.

“Because,” Emily swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, “he was one of the guards that was sent away when my mother was killed.  He heard….he heard and he did nothing.  He ran, only returning when I was properly restored to the throne as if nothing had ever occurred.”

“So, you killed him for being a coward.”  Percy stated with a sad, knowing look in his blue eyes.  “I'm not fit to judge you, none of us are.  We've all killed for far less nobler reasons.  And honestly, you just revealed what we’ve already figured out.  You’re as ‘human’ as the rest of us, plain and simple.”

“It is kinda ironic,” Keyleth began, waiting for Emily to look towards her before she pushed ahead, “but he basically did the same thing you were so determined to do, if you think about it.”

“That hard truth hasn’t escaped me.”

“No, I imagine it wouldn’t.”  Steepling his fingers, Percy blew out a shaky but steadying breath.  “Well, I'd call that as successful a breaking of the ice as any.”

“More like smashing it into fucking tiny bits dear.”  Vex corrected him as she found herself pouring Emily another glass of wine.  “Drink up darling, you look like shit.”

“Thank you.  I think.”  Emily muttered but gladly accepted the new glass of wine from Vex.  She didn’t drain all of it, but when she came up for air, three fourths of the glass had disappeared down her throat.  “Oh, you cunning lithel biith.....I fwooking hashhh yoooouuuu.”  She slurred, her tongue once more numb and turned to lead as a familiar cold sensation overtook her mouth.

Vex’s wide grin was a much needed distraction, as was her quick slip of the Sand Keg into Emily’s glass.  “I know.”

“What’s the occasion, and who’s this wonderfully shit faced guest of ours?”  An unfamiliar, older woman’s voice reached their ears as the doors of the hall opened behind Emily’s seat.  “You didn’t tell me you were having a party.  Vex, pour me a glass of that Sand Keg, dear?”

“Gladly Zahra.”  Vex exclaimed happily as Emily’s vision was soon filled with the face of yet another race that wasn’t human.  Unlike most of the other races, this woman’s horned, blood red face, was only vaguely humanoid in nature.  Her eyes were white, her hair was silver, and while her face was at least familiarly human in its striking features, the color of her skin was most definitely not normal.

Emily couldn’t keep her surprise to herself as she jumped to her feet, her eyes wide at the impossible sight before her.  “Whhaath the bloody- you consort with a demon?!”  Emily shouted, the sudden kick of adrenaline to her system sobering her faster than a pot of coffee.

“ _Half_ demon.”  Pike corrected her, as if that helped matters.  “And Zahra’s a friend of ours, so of course we’d _consort_ with her.”

“Yeah, what she said.”  Keyleth quickly agreed next.

“And sometimes we do a lot more than that.”  Vex proudly admitted with a devilish grin.

“Ain’t that the truth.”  The half demon snorted, her white eyes alight as she grinned towards the group before turning back to Emily.  “But I see that I’m clearly your first tiefling, wonderful.”  The silver haired woman grumbled as she plopped down next to the startled Empress.  “Sit down before you fall down, dear.  I’m pleasantly shocked you can still make coherent sentences though.”  Zahra mused as she brought up the glass of Sand Keg she’d been given, and slowly took a measured sip, fully aware of what it was capable of.

“I-I humbly apologize-”  Emily stammered out, unable to tear her eyes away from the demonic woman so casually sipping at the glass in her hand.

But Zahra waved her free hand in dismissal at her fumbling attempt to apologize.  “Oh don't trouble yourself, I've been called far worse.”

“Where’ve you been anyway Zahra?”  Pike asked, and while it took Emily a few seconds to put it together, she and the rest of Vox Machina were clearly happy to see this woman despite the fact she would have made every Overseer back home charge her down, blades drawn and pistols aimed at her face.

Zahra beamed, revealing a forked, long tongue behind her admittedly beautiful face, something Emily was able to acknowledge as she slowly sat down again.  “I actually went back to the Slayer’s Take for a while with Kashaw.  He needed a break from training the poor recruits, and I was wanting a bit of fresh air.  No offense Percy but your castle, while quite lovely, is rather colder than I’d like.  And Emon... well, we left it in a bit of a right state didn’t we, dear?”

“Meh, granted most of the damage had already been done by Thordak and his flunkies, but I see your point.”  Percy willingly admitted to the tiefling.

Completely ignoring what was most likely a very useful bit of information, Emily was still too distracted to mentally catalogue it.  “I mean no offense, but it's still rather hard to believe you actually exist.”  She managed to say, far more curious now by Zahra’s appearance than frightened since she’d gotten over her initial shock.

Zahra laughed at the awestruck look of wonder on Emily's face, far more used to seeing fear, anger, and hate than innocent, if intense, curiosity.  “Trust me dear,” she advised, as she casually lifted Emily’s branded hand, as if she meant to kiss her knuckles as so many had before, her uniformly white glowing eyes sweeping over the mark before returning to Emily’s face and lowering the hand in the same movement, “the pleasure is most assuredly mine. So, where did you find another warlock?”  Zahra asked as she turned back to the group.  “And should I be jealous?”

“Huh?”  Emily asked, confused by the tiefling’s remark.

“Pact bound, but not exactly a warlock.  More of a magically gifted assassin.”  Keyleth explained to Zahra, which earned a curious tilt of the woman’s horned head while it left Emily scratching her own.

“Is that right?  Well, I'd be happy to compare various techniques with you.”  Something in that innocent sounding request promised things that would probably make Vex blush in shame.  As it was, Emily’s own cheeks had turned equally crimson, if still a bit paler than Zahra’s, and while it was aided by the alcohol already in her system, the little smile and the way she shyly looked away from Zahra’s cheeky grin said it all.  “And something tells me you wouldn’t say no.  Imagine that.”

“You have _absolutely_ no idea darling.”  Vex chuckled knowingly.

Zahra’s white eyes lit up further as she caught onto the badly disguised innuendo.  “Oh now I _must_ know, what did you two do without me?  Should I be jealous about this too?”

“Just swapping various techniques Zahra, I swear.  And not unless you’re the overly jealous type.”  Vex all too happily shared with the tiefling, much to Emily’s immensely embarrassed chagrin.

“Well, considering Percival also slept with my cousin and didn’t invite me, I’m merely disappointed.”  The saucy wink she threw towards a now scarlet Emily and Keyleth made it clear Zahra wasn’t offended.

A dumbfounded Percy meanwhile, spewed his drink to largely comic effect, as a laughing Vex ran over to slap his back while he coughed up the rest.  “Smooth de Rolo.”  Her brother observed with a grinning shake of his head.

“There, there dear.  And my apologies Zahra, for Percival not making that terribly awkward request when he still had the chance.”  Vex replied as she continued to pound on his back.  “Oh by the way, I’m engaged!”  She happily declared as she held up her new ring.

Zahra’s eyes widened considerably at that.  “No, he finally did it?!  You finally did it?!”  She repeated her question for Percival’s benefit, and when he coughed but nodded his head, the tiefling raised her mug so fast that the contents sloshed and spilled over the edge.  “Well congratulations dear!  It’s about damned time!”

“Thank... you.”  Percy gasped and wheezed, still clutching at his chest.  Once he had cleared his airway, the gunslinger smirked and shrugged at Zahra’s beaming grin that could have lit up a room on its own.  “As I’ve been told, I happen to agree with you.  It’s been long overdue.”

“Damn, I almost feel cheated, but I'm happy for you both.”  Zahra replied, and gave Vex and Percy a somber but still smiling nod of vast approval.

“Oh, don’t fret darling, my doting husband already promised me the occasional threesome.”

“Oh really?”  Her mood instantly shifted from somber approval to eager anticipation.

“That was a joke!”  Percy protested hurriedly.

Zahra had other ideas though as she grinned devilishly at the man.  “There are no jokes in the middle of wedding proposals dear.  I’m a half devil after all, I know these things.  A proper proposal is like a carefully crafted bargain in that regard.  So no, but I’m sorry to say your goose is thoroughly cooked dear Percy.”

“And I do believe you've already ‘signed’ it darling.”  Vex told him as she happily waved her ring about.

“And I have it in actual writing.”  Emily was happy to inform the entire group as she held up her travel log.  “Should I read the entry aloud for everyone Percival?”

“Not if you don’t want me to shoot that damned book from your hand.”  A blushing, and slightly tipsy, Percy threatened casually.

“I may chance it, I highly doubt you’re that good of a drunk shot.”

“You have me there.”  Percy relented, but shrugged as a grin spread across his face.  “But I am curious about one thing, Empress,” the casual ‘slip’ of the tongue earned an intrigued look from Zahra even as Emily glared over the rim of her glass, “whatever will you be writing about our mutual friend here?”

Predictably, Zahra was all too happy to further inquire.  “You’re an Empress?  Rule anywhere I know dear?”

“Not unless you’ve apparently visited a distant plane of existence recently.”  Emily replied, while pointedly ignoring Percy’s remark.  If she recognized its existence, that meant she’d have to quite possibly hurt him.

“Hmm, I've never checked an Empress off my list.”  Zahra mused, making the remark more to herself than those around her, but that didn’t mean they didn’t hear it.

Emily blinked as she put her glass on the table before her.  “Excuse me?”

“Oh sorry dear, I _meant_ to say, I've never mercilessly ravished an innocent, wide eyed sovereign, like yourself for instance, with my tongue before.  Or my tail for that matter.”  Before she could even dare think about asking, Emily jumped when she felt a light slap to her butt, only to whirl around to see a long, muscular length of red capped with what looked like an arrow’s head.

Ignoring the raucous laughter that followed, Emily couldn’t help but wonder what that might be like before she shook her head.  She really shouldn’t have read that story, and that was being generous given the content of the tale in question, about the Tyvian Prince.  As it was, Emily had to take a deep breath to at least partially dispel the hot flush to her cheeks.  “I uh….think I’m going to have to politely turn down what would likely be an en-enjoyable...experience, for the time being.”

“Definitely the diplomatic sort at least.  But alright, I can take a rain check dear.  And don’t worry, I won't be asking for your soul or anything so obviously crude.  But, it would certainly be a fair trade, even if I do say so myself.”  Despite the kind refusal, Zahra was all smiles as she turned to the rest of the group again.  “So, tell me everything.  Starting with the pending nuptials.  We could all use the happy news after what we’ve endured to get here.”

Vax chose that moment to give Emily and Keyleth one look, before his already wide smirk morphed into a head splitting grin.  “I'm still sort of stuck on how red Ems and Kiki are.  They could be your much younger, kinkier sisters.”

Zahra snorted at that but had only one thing to say to the cheeky, half elven bastard.  “You can kindly go fuck yourself Vax’ildan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that the Heart you get from the Outsider doesn't come along until AFTER you leave for Karnaca the first time, but I needed it for what I came up with for this. That, and out of all of the horrible things I could have used that you can learn by using Jessamine's heart, I decided to do something different, something much more personal for Emily, and something that would allow her to bury her steel into the man's chest. Besides, this is fanfiction, original thoughts are supposed to be mixed in with the general story being used lol. But seriously, I hope you guys approve and I'll see you next time. Peace!


	12. A Tiefling Scorned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to recent, and expected, RL concerns with a dear friend who also helped beta these, I've known for a while that he wasn't going to be around for a good long while. Well, that day finally came around this morning. I was thankfully able to say goodbye to him and while I sincerely hope his time away will be over shortly, even best case scenario means that he'll likely be gone for four years if not longer. Without getting into the whole, very long story, it's not something he has a choice over, that's all I really know and would say about it anyway even if I did know more. But all this means for this story however, and anything else I might end up posting, is that I no longer have a beta reader/editor/someone to bounce ideas off of. That and I'm understandably a bit depressed over all this, but that's a much more personal issue.
> 
> I don't know how often I'll update this now without him being around, but if someone wants to beta read this or anything, feel free to hit me up. I'll at least try my best to keep up to the standard in regards to quality I've established, but it'll likely suffer without someone to reliably keep things on track and what have you. Still, your support, both in comments and just support in general, is as always, quite welcome. See ya and hope you all enjoy this last chapter edited and beta read with my friend.
> 
> Missing you already bud.

**Chapter 11**

**A Tiefling Scorned**

Zahra it turned out was quite the lively, intelligent conversationalist.  And while the drunken revelries lasted well past lunch, Emily had stopped drinking so she could keep speaking somewhat coherently with the tiefling warlock.  While they didn’t ‘compare techniques’ in the way Vex would have no doubt found incredibly amusing, Zahra was happy to explain what it was she did that made her such a formidable force on the battlefield.  And the more she talked about the Slayer’s Take, the guild she was a proud member of, the more Emily found herself wanting to visit and meet Zahra’s companions.

As it was, Emily was content to glance over a book Zahra had recommended to Percy as well.  “A book of the various planes of existence, the ones that we know about at any rate.”  Zahra explained as she set the heavy, dark brown tome down on a nearby table in the study they had since occupied.  “You mentioned being from somewhere other than here, so I figured it’d be a good place to start.  That, and you strike me as the curious sort.”

“Thank you Lady Hydris.”  Leaning forward in the high backed, cushion covered chair, Emily retrieved the book before opening it across her lap, one long leg bent with her foot perched on her knee to better balance it.

Zahra, having since turned to a nearby fireplace, scoffed good naturedly at the formal way Emily had addressed her.  “Psh, I don’t think I’ve been called a Lady for quite a while, if ever, actually.  Zahra if you please, if of course I can call you Emily?”  She asked as she casually snapped her fingers, right before a warm, softly glowing blaze appeared in the fireplace the next moment.  “Ah, much better.”

“Y-yes, and honestly it’s what I prefer.”

“I imagine you would.”  Zahra idly observed as she carefully pulled down another thick tome from the shelves around them.

“So, how long have you known Percival and his merry band of brigands?”

“Now that is a question.”  Zahra chuckled as she shot Emily an amused glance over her shoulder, before returning her gaze to the book now spread open in her arms.  “Long enough to desire a private conversation with a mysterious young woman who just happened, quite conveniently, to fall into their lap.”

“It wasn’t  _ exactly _ planned.”  Emily replied with a little more heat than was probably required, or polite.

But if Zahra noticed, she didn’t respond save to ask, “Oh?  Then enlighten me.”  All the while her eyes remained affixed to the book.

Because of her feigned disinterest, or that Emily was all too aware of the fact Zahra was pointedly not looking right at her, it was ample incentive for the sarcasm that practically dripped off of her tongue.  “I’m afraid I didn't have time to ask that murderous witch Delilah for all the pertinent details before she sent me through some kind of rip in reality.  Of course that was after she summoned one last swarm of cursed blood briars. So the mind numbing, searing pain from their poisonous sting made it a little difficult to know what was happening at the time.”

“Oh….”  Zahra finally looked up, her eyes slightly downcast now once Emily’s words were absorbed.  Slowly closing the book with an ominous thud, the tiefling sat down across from her and sighed, the book left in her lap.  “I suppose it’s fairly obvious by now I’m quite protective of those loveable buffoons we’re both been quite fortunate to know.”  Emily nodded her head, having assumed something like that had been why Zahra had provoked her.  “Did they tell you about Hotis?  There’s reason enough in that alone to want to protect them from those that might harm them.”

“I’ve only heard bits and pieces,” Emily admitted, once more feeling a hint of her guilt from earlier, before she swallowed it down, “but not enough to know what exactly happened.”

“It’s….ironically, the fault of the Slayer’s Take that they encountered Hotis at all.  And indirectly, it could be said my own as well.”  The clearly etched discomfort she saw on Zahra’s face, mixed with a helping of guilt for whatever had happened, made Emily want to put a hand on the woman’s knee if nothing else.

It was clear she held herself responsible for something that was not her doing, but Emily stuck to asking a less direct question.  “Who is this Hotis?  I only know he’s a some sort of demon and that he somehow got close to someone in Vox Machina.”

“He’s an actual demon, not a mixed being such as myself, in case you’re curious dear,” Zahra elaborated, before she rested her elbow on the book and her palm against the bottom of her chin, “and he's  _ gotten close _ , as you put it, to both Pike and Vax.  Pike for killing him the second time, Vax for slaying him the first.  It’s the first time that’s important, due to some….call it confusion, between VM and the Take. They were required to take on a couple of jobs from us to settle a debt, or face an extended stay in Vasselheim’s dungeons.  One of them happened to be a contract for Hotis.”

“Which explains how Vax killed him, but how is this Hotis capable of returning from the dead?”

“Demons don’t work in the same way we do, Emily.”  Zahra explained, as if she were talking with a favorite pupil of hers.  “The only way to truly rid yourself of such an entity is to kill them in their home plane of existence, otherwise they can reconstitute themselves and return to the prime material plane, this one to be precise.  The process takes any between a month to three at the most, but you’ve likely heard they plan to go to the Nine Hells by now.  And now you know why.”

“I get why if he’s this persistent, but what can he even do if they’ve killed him twice already?”  Thoroughly entranced by this wellspring of information, Emily was eager to learn whatever Zahra was willing to discuss with her, the book in her lap completely forgotten by this point.

Zahra was happy to keep going, even if the subject matter was a little off putting for her given the incredibly high stakes involved.  “He can keep coming back with more and more killers at his beck and call, for one. Until Vax and the others have no safe place left to hide.  To make it worse, most demons, rakshasas included, can read minds, learning who you love, who your friends are, and things you’d rather not have anyone be aware of.  So Hotis can easily hurt them without ever touching them directly if he so chooses.  And if that wasn’t enough, a rakshasa, which is what Hotis is, can shapeshift, mimicking nearly anyone they’ve encountered to scary perfection.”

“Void help them, no wonder they’re so willing to go to such extremes.”  With such a determined and frighteningly powerful enemy after them, Emily couldn’t comprehend how Vox Machina hadn’t killed her on the spot.  To never be able to trust anyone they came into contact with?  To always be afraid a new companion might be a hidden assassin hiding behind an innocent smile?  That was no way to live.

“Yes.  Which is why I have to be absolutely sure.”  Zahra admitted as a large barbed tentacle lashed out at Emily.  She was up in a flash, knocking the chair backwards before she tumbled skillfully over the back, but it was too little too late as the tentacle quickly restrained her arms to her sides.  “Just hold still, I promise, either way, this will be over quickly and painlessly.”

Struggling uselessly in yet another magical restraint, Emily was turned, kicking and bucking in Zahra’s tentacle so that she was facing the tiefling.  “Evil demonic filth!  How do I know you aren't this Hotis?!"

Zahra rolled her eyes, one hand glowing with dark, arcane energies while she extended the other that began to glow with a gentle, gray light.  “Please dear, if I was, you and most of Vox Machina would likely be dead already.  Now stop squirming.  Gods, for being a regal woman you’re certainly fit.”

“Assassin remember?”  Emily hissed through clenched teeth, her brown eyes promising a very unpleasant demise if Zahra didn’t let her go in the next ten seconds.  “I'll be giving you a demonstration of my skills soon enough!”

“I’ll take my chances, especially since from what I can tell, you’re quite clean of evil influences if my scan of your being is to be believed.  In fact, you’re strangely  _ too  _ easy to read.”  Zahra observed as she glanced at her right hand that had stopped glowing with gray light.  “Did you come from a world that’s not magically rich, dear?”

Caught off guard by the question as she soon found herself gently lowered to the ground, Emily didn’t immediately react when the tentacle summarily disappeared at the same time the black light in Zahra’s hand did.  “And what does that have to do with anything?”

“Because I can tell you exactly how many bastards you’ve personally killed, when normally I should have only been able to tell if you were a black hearted murderer in disguise, or not.  Which leads me to wonder if your natural immunity to the arcane is anywhere near on par with ours.”

“What?”  Emily tensely muttered, as she was busy deciding whether to wield her blade or retreat through the nearest door with all speed.

“You're still on edge dear, I suggest you take a seat, or punch me, whichever will calm you more.”  Zahra offered, as easily as if she were debating if she should have tea or brandy with her lunch.

The offer further confused Emily, but it had the desired effect of calming her down as she picked up and righted the chair she had knocked over in an effort to escape before snatching up the book that had also hit the floor.  Glancing at the warlock for a moment, she eventually shook her head and sat back down.  “No….no I won’t punish you for merely being cautious.  It  _ is  _ a tempting thought though.  But that does raise an important question-”

“Vax.  I know you’re lurking nearby.”  Zahra grinned as Vax popped his head into the study, a sheepish grin plastered on his face.

“Damn, you’re gettin’ good at that Z.”

“Please, it was an educated guess, one that paid off.  That and it helps you’re boringly predictable.”  She held up a hand to silence any amused remarks from the rogue, Zahra looked directly into Vax’s brown eyes.  “Do you mind helping to prove I am who I say I am?”

“Zahra-”

But she wouldn’t hear his protests.  “No, and since we’re on the subject, you know you should have done so the moment I walked in for this very reason Vax’ildan.”

“I hate that it’s necessary at all.”  Vax grumbled, no longer smiling even as he sighed in defeat.  “But you’re right, I know, even if we’re reasonably sure Hotis isn’t due back for a couple weeks yet.”

“Reasonably sure isn’t enough Vax.”  Zahra somberly replied.  “Just get it over with.”

“Very well.  Zahra, I'm sorry in advance.”  Vax morosely offered the frowning tiefling before he pulled out a dagger and started stalking towards her.

“Wait.  What are you doing?!”  Emily was on her feet in a second as she pulled her father’s sword, uncertain if she should use it or simply render Vax unconscious as he turned, that same dagger leaving his hand in the next moment.

“Not so easy to face an enemy that can wear the face of a friend is it?”  Vax asked as she deflected the blade only to recoil away as the second zipped by her throat.

“Vax!  Stop this madness before I'm forced to do something I'll regret!”  Emily demanded, her blade a blur as she desperately tried to keep the rogue’s whirling daggers at bay.  No easy feat since it became quickly apparent that Vax was a very skilled knife fighter.

“Oh fine.”  Vax mocked groaned, and just as suddenly, his daggers were back on his belt.  “Gotta say though Ems, you’re quick on your feet when it matters.”

Emily could barely speak in whole sentences as she put two and two together, far too outraged by the man’s insanity.  “Y-you, you stupid, Void cursed arrogant-  I could have k-”

“Bloody unlikely.”  Zahra chuckled, an almost predatory gleam on her face as she waved a hand towards Vax.  “I’ve seen him do some amazingly impossible things with those daggers of his.  Killing a gigantic dragon that had tried to achieve a form of pseudo-godhood is just one of the more recent feats I’ve seen, albeit at an unfortunate distance.”

Vax gave Zahra a quick, lopsided smirk before it disappeared in the next moment when he turned his scarred face back towards Emily.  “But now you understand, yeah?  There  _ is  _ no other way.  Either we kill Hotis in his hellish crib, or he kills us while looking like the people we love.”

“You could have just  _ explained  _ the situation instead of terrifying me half to death!”  Emily growled at the rogue, while somehow restraining herself from yelling at the top of her lungs at him for his foolishness.

“Meh, that would have been boring.  That and I was curious what you’d do to protect someone you’d just met.”  Vax replied with a shrug before his hand fell on Emily’s right shoulder.  “Stress brings out the best or the worst in people.  Congrats, you defended a flirty, filthy minded devil woman from a handsome bastard you just can't help but-”

It honestly came as no surprise, to Vax most of all, when Emily shot her left hand forward and jabbed him in the windpipe, her fingers bunched up in such a way so that it was like a makeshift dull edged knife.  Before he could begin to recover, she had spun him around and locked her arm around his throat, but she didn’t apply the pressure that would leave him a drooling mess on the floor.  “Consider this a warning Vax’ildan.  Next time I won’t bother to knock you flat on your arse.”

“Noted.”  Vax wheezed, between her arm and the blow to his throat until she none too gently shoved the rogue away.  He stumbled but remained standing as he rubbed at his windpipe.  “Damn, I might have to take lessons from you.”

Zahra however had been far more enthralled by the skillful display, and made her excitement clearly known.  “Bravo dear!  ... You know, I'd be happy to let you restrain me as well.  I'd rather not have any hard feelings.”  The lusty gleam in the tiefling’s white eyes suggested, quite strongly, that she’d rather enjoy it.

“Uh…..”  No longer articulate, Emily could only stammer out an unintelligible noise of surprise before she vigorously shook her head.  “I-I mean, that won’t be necessary, even if you did play a part in this madness.  Besides, you were honorable and blunt in your desire to protect those you cherish.  I'd have done the same if our positions were reversed.”

“Oh, so we’re  _ cherished  _ now are we?”  Vax asked Zahra, his smirk returning in full force as he plopped himself down on the edge of the table, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I never said that.”  Zahra replied calmly but not before giving the rogue a playful slap on his thigh with her tail.

Now that she had calmed down, for the second time in as many minutes, Emily was all too happy to throw Zahra under the wagon.  “I think her words were something more along the lines of, ‘loveable buffoons’, if I'm not mistaken.”

“Well, to be fair, that  _ does  _ sound more like us.”  Vax admitted with a shrug and a smirk.

“Nothing gets by you does it, dear?”  Zahra grinned despite being called out.  Throwing her hands up into the air, the warlock sighed in mock annoyance.  “Oh well, but you know it’s the truth Vax.  You did bumble into that hunt against the hydra after all.”

“It wasn’t  _ just  _ me, thank you.”  Vax quickly pointed out to the smug tiefling at his side.

“My point exactly dear.”  Zahra grinned triumphantly, while Vax was left opening and closing his mouth at having been verbally bested.

“So, I take you're going to kill this rash...raksha...Hotis soon enough.”  Emily stated rather than asked, but it was as good as time as any to confirm their intent.

Zahra had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing outright at the mispronunciation.  “‘Ahem’, yes I imagine they will.”  She said once she was able to speak again.

“If only we knew somebody who speaks Infernal  _ and  _ could fit in around Hell.... Hmm.”  Vax mused nonchalantly, but the less than subtle glance he leveled on Zahra did little to hide his badly veiled intent.

The change in demeanor was immediate as Zahra jerked her head up towards Vax so quickly Emily was sure her neck would be sore later.  “What?  You’re inviting me, no,  _ guilting me,  _ into going to the Nine Hells?  If I wanted to go to  _ that  _ place, I’d have stayed in my fucking cage, thank you very much!”

“Zahra?”  Vax stammered, surprised almost as much as Emily was shocked by what the flustered tiefling had just said.

“Why do you think that son of a bitch kept me?  It wasn’t for my pretty face, which is the only good thing I can say about my bloody father.”  Zahra snapped as she got to her feet in one fluid movement before going to the fireplace, where she rested a hand on the mantle above.  She suddenly looked very old, very tired, and very afraid for reasons Emily could scarcely imagine.  She had no idea what to say, and Vax was similarly at a loss as Zahra slowly looked over her right shoulder.  “It’s  _ because  _ I know Infernal he kept me in that cage, using me to translate, to help him deal with those terrible things he called.  That would have been bad enough, if that was all he used me for.”

Vax wouldn’t have asked what else she had endured even if he’d been able to find the words necessary.  As it was, he could only whisper, “I'm sorry Z....I had no idea.”

“Well you fucking should be Vax!”  She hissed, before just as quickly turning her head back so she could look in the fire’s soft glow.  The light did strange things to Zahra’s soft red skin, but Emily was far more focused on what she softly whispered to them both.  “The rest….the rest you can guess I’m sure.  I became stronger, self reliant, and it helps I found something far less vile to join myself with.  All this was derived from the hope and desire that I’d never be at the mercy of another again, for however long I lived.  And I’ve been around a while.”

Emily came to a decision then, but she needed a measure of privacy for what she had considered as she turned to the rogue.  A hand grasped his arm before she gently nodded to the door.  “Vax, I think you might want to go.”

“Y-yeah.  I think I should.”  Hopping off the table, Vax made it a point to stop just behind Zahra on his way out.  “I can’t begin to imagine what that was like, Zahra, but-”

“I’ll be alright, Vax.  But I know what you’re getting at dear.”  She replied, and managed a weak, but grateful smile for the rogue’s attempt to comfort her in his own fumbling way.  “I’m just an old woman with too many miles behind her.”

“Fuck that Z, you’re still a spring chicken if you ask me.”  The laugh that escaped her brought a smile to Vax’s face as he reached out and patted the tiefling on the back before leaving them alone.

Only once the door had shut behind him, and they were reasonably sure he’d gone his own way, did Zahra finally tear her gaze away from the fireplace.  Her tail meanwhile, subtly reached up to her left eye and flicked away the single tear that had formed in the corner.  “Sorry to bore you with my tragic little tale dear.”

“Zahra...”  She didn’t know what to say honestly, not after having had that bombshell dropped in her lap, so Emily settled for simply putting herself before the tiefling by the warm fire.

“You know, the funny thing is, I'm going to end up helping them whether I really want to or not.  And the reason’s simple really.  I'd never forgive myself if I didn't... and something horrible happened.  It’s not something I want to consider.”

“Then, when the time comes, I'll go with you.  I'll be by your side, the entire time.”

“You only just met me.”  Mildly incredulous, Zahra found it hard to believe what she was hearing.  “Why the sudden desire to throw yourself in harm’s way for my sake?”

“Because you need my help.  There need not be any other reason than that, and because I owe them my life.  Twice over if I'm being honest.”  Emily admitted with a one sided shrug.

Normally, Zahra would have found a reason to dislike such a remark because of how far she’d come on her own merits and strengths, but coming from Emily, she didn’t argue.  She didn’t question it, or her good fortune, at having already found another friend even if under normal circumstances it would have been far too soon to name her as such.  But whatever it was about the regal woman before her that had already proven to be quite intelligently capable, Zahra felt at ease around the Empress as a slow smile spread across her face.  “Well dear, with an offer like that, how can I possibly refuse?”

The lopsided, if subdued, smirk that appeared on Emily’s face had Zahra grinning subtly in turn.  “Oh, quite easily I imagine.  Simply tell them you'd rather stay behind, and I will gladly sit here discussing literature and drinking tea with you.”

“Brandy actually, but that’s a rather tempting offer too.”  Zahra mused, her grin widening slowly as she mulled it over, or at least pretended to.  “But as much as I’m honestly afraid of the Nine Hells, I’ve never actually been there.  I can’t help but be morbidly curious about the place.”

“To Hell with us then?”  Emily asked, and extended her right hand to the tiefling.

“To Hell with us indeed.”  Zahra replied with as much cheer as she could summon up as she grasped the Empress’s offered hand.  “Although, would it be too presumptuous to ask if you'd spend a night with me before, just in case?”

“It would.  But your answer is yes.  And perhaps after as well.”  But as much as she was tempted, Emily stepped away from Zahra before she could get any ideas in that exact moment.  “I would however get to know you a bit better first, Zahra.”

“As would I, honestly.”  She replied, accepting the gentle refusal with a smile, especially since the tiefling genuinely wanted to get to know Emily better.  Not that she’d admit that outright of course as she sat back down in her previously vacated seat.  “Besides, casual sex is just so utterly satisfying and annoyingly string free, wouldn't you agree?”

“I’ve actually never indulged in casual flings, no.”  Emily admitted, much to Zahra’s surprise as the woman blinked, her red face locked in a silent gasp.

“An Empress, royalty even, and you  _ never  _ exercise your power in such a way?  I call bullshit on that, your majesty.“

Emily rolled her eyes even if in Zahra’s case, it wasn’t meant as a slur or an insult as such a question might have been from someone else.  “I have had lovers, yes, but I’ve never gone out of my way to abuse my authority or power in such a trivial fashion as a majority of the aristocracy has no doubt done.”

“Let’s not forget poor, innocent Vex. I do hope she hasn't corrupted you  _ too  _ much.  Leaves me a little corrupting of my own that way.”  Zahra chuckled as Emily’s cheeks brightened, although not quite as much as they’d been earlier.  “But all jokes aside Emily, I’m glad you’re not naturally inclined to surrender to such vices.  Power can be a funny thing, especially if it’s in the wrong hands.”

“I know that all too well.”  Emily replied, all too keenly aware of what Zahra was hinting at.

“Good, because I can’t begin to imagine the trials that’ve brought you here, so I won’t even try.  Too many people have in my case, and it pisses me off every time.”  Emily perked up at that, to which the tiefling smiled when she realized they had something in common.  “I see you understand that as well.”

“The burdens of a crown can never be explained, they can only be experienced.  My father understood that he couldn’t really understand despite being so close to my mother, but my mother was fully aware of the weight on her shoulders.”  Emily’s voice dropped in volume as she pushed back the memories of that day, again.

Zahra didn’t need to ask what had likely happened to one or both of them when Emily looked towards the fire this time, her gaze vacant and full of old hurts.  “Would you like to cash in that promise I wrangled out of you now dear, or would you rather just get properly drunk this time and pass out in my bed instead?”

Despite the flirtatious undertones, Emily got the impression that Zahra wasn’t trying to seduce her, anymore at least.  But as much as she considered it, she eventually pulled her gaze back to the tiefling’s face and offered her a grateful, sad smile.  “No, I’ve drunk enough, but I think I’d rather not sleep alone for a change.”

“Oddly enough, I wouldn't mind having someone to cuddle up with for once.  But I’ll warn you now, my tail tends to have a mind of its own, silly thing that it is.”  She went so far to give the offending appendage a playful if disapproving smirk.

Emily rolled her eyes at that as she slowly stood from her chair.  “I'm willing to take that risk.  So long as it doesn't get any particularly daring ideas.”

Picking up the book she’d been browsing through, Zahra smiled warmly as she let her arm fall over Emily’s shoulders while her tail wrapped around the second book that had been in her lap earlier.  “Then let’s go while the night’s at least bordering on reasonably young.

“Lead on.”  Emily invited her with a wave of her hand out of the study.

“As you wish, your majesty.”  Zahra replied softly, her silver white eyes glowing in the darkened hallway.

“Please don't do that.”  Emily muttered uncomfortably as she looked down to the floor.  “It might be fun to play that role with Vex, but it’s an empty title since I don’t belong here.”

“Ah, my apologies then Emily.”  Hugging her against her side, Zahra patted the girl’s arm her hand rested upon without missing a step.  “No wonder you want to be called by your given name though.”

“It's very...  _ refreshing _ , just being me.  I think that’s the one aspect of all this I've actually enjoyed.”

“But like any truly good ruler, you want to get back to your people as soon as possible.”  Zahra replied, understanding the conflict of interest she was no doubt enduring every moment she was away, even if she couldn’t comprehend the sheer weight of her responsibilities to her people.

Emily nodded solemnly in agreement before her features relaxed and brightened somewhat.  “I'd return this instant, given the chance.  But it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a few friends who don't refrain from telling me when I'm being an ass, instead of incessantly kissing it all the time.”

“Ha.  If it’s any consolation dear, at least it’s a  _ very nice _ ass.”  They shared a smirk at that before Zahra picked up their stride a bit, briskly walking down the hallway with her arm securely, comfortably, wrapped around Emily’s waist.

She was warm, warmer than Emily had expected someone could be without being racked with fever.  But it was a comfortable warmth that emanated from the tiefling who had her gently squeezed against her side as they made their way to the warlock’s chambers.  They talked quietly, bidding a good night to the few members of Vox Machina they passed, some of which were three sheets to the wind and looking quite cheery as a result, before Zahra’s tail slowly grasped the doorknob when they reached her room.  “And here we are dear.”  She smiled as she allowed the door to swing open after putting her tail back around Emily’s waist.  “Excuse the mess, I’ve not had a chance to properly unpack since returning.  So many books, so little time.”

Despite the cluttered space that looked like it was a cross between a bedroom and an office, boxes of books and strange artifacts scattered about the room, Emily nodded her approval before she shrugged.  “I once slept in a sewer, so this is positively delightful in comparison.”  She told Zahra before gingerly untangling herself from the tiefling’s comforting grasp.

“How ironic, so did I.  The things you have in common with royalty.”  Zahra laughed at her own dark humor, giving Emily a casual shrug.  “Long story, you might even hear it later if you stick around those lovingly annoying people of ours.”  Despite herself, Zahra couldn’t help but watch with more than passing interest as Emily slowly slid her dark blue jacket off of her slender, pale arms before she carefully draped it across the back of a nearby chair that was positioned in front of her cluttered desk.  “I wasn’t joking when I said you were fit, but that lovely jacket made it hard to see just how fit.  You really are a trained assassin I see.  I like it.”

“I'm glad you approve.”  Emily snorted at that, but smiled briefly as she unclasped her bandolier of elixirs before doing the same to her belt, leaving them spread out across the back of the chair along with her jacket.  Her father’s sword she hesitated with, hefting the weight of the hilt in one hand before she ran her fingers along the wooden grip.  “I might not have been meant to hold this sword, but until I get home, it’s mine.  I’ve done what I can to honor what my father taught me, but it hasn’t been easy.”  While Zahra didn’t know what the story was, she understood enough that she allowed Emily a moment to shake off her melancholy as she set the strange, seemingly empty hilt down on the desk for the evening.

But that didn’t stop the tiefling from smiling mischievously when Emily started towards the bed.  “Not quite yet.”  She said, barring the young woman’s path.

“What?”

“Your boots dear.”  Zahra explained with a chuckle as she pulled off her own footwear and rubbed at her aching crimson feet.  “Traveling boots my arse.  If I ever catch up with that merchant again, I’ll burn his shop down around his ears.”

Emily chuckled softly at that, which had Zahra smirking approval as she too kicked her boots off, leaving them next to the large, comfortable looking bed.  “My own are very functional for what I do, but after a long day, I can definitely agree with you.  Whoever made them should have been shot for their incompetence.”  The old, weathered socks came next, before Emily sighed in relief at having her feet free at last.

“Hmm.”  Zahra mused once Emily had sat down on the edge of the bed.  Plopping herself down next to the Empress, she nodded to her right foot.  “Do you mind if I…?”  She began to ask, smiling when Emily’s eyebrow shot up to her hairline.  But she didn’t get a chance to elaborate before the young woman repositioned herself so that she could comfortably stretch her legs over the tiefling’s lap.  “Ah there we are.”  She purred in approval before Zahra gently grasped Emily’s foot between her hands.  “Don't worry dear, I'll be good.  And I rarely bite, unless you want me to that is.”  Zahra softly told her with a grin as she began massaging the regal assassin’s foot.

A pleased, contented, quiet moan escaped Emily as those soft, comfortably warm hands pressed and gently kneaded the aches and pains away from the muscles  “You're like having a nice, relaxing hot bath, it merely takes a few moments to get used to you first.”

“You wouldn’t be the first to say that actually, but it’s nice to hear it come from the lips of such a beautiful woman.  It helps you have such lovely feet dear.”  Zahra observed, grinning widely for a moment before her face shifted to one of concentration.  “You’d be surprised how much finger dexterity is required for spellcasting.  You’ve likely seen a bit yourself by now, but it translates well to things like this.”

Emily had, but she was a bit too caught up in the moment as Zahra’s fingers sent pleasant, comforting chills up her spine.  “Mmm, I've noticed.  You certainly have being a well paid masseuse to fall back on, if this whole ‘mystical warlock’ thing doesn't work out for you.”

Once more Zahra laughed warmly and beamed, her lips pulled back to reveal a mouthful of pretty if pointed white teeth.  “Now there’s a thought I could get behind.  Would I be paid by the hour or per happy ending dear?”  She chuckled as she gently lowered Emily’s foot to have her put her other one across her lap.

Propped up on her elbows allowed Emily to watch Zahra’s skilled hands as they soon encompassed her left foot, her fingers focusing on all of those troublesome points that were always giving her issues after a long day.  “Hourly at first, both later on I suspect.  For now I'm not offering coin or coitus in trade.”  Emily mused as she grudgingly tugged her feet back and invitingly patted at her lap.

“A wise choice, even if it is rather boring.”  Zahra shrugged despite her playful complaint as she gathered up the books she’d set down by the bed.  Setting them up by the pillow for now, Zahra obediently draped her legs over Emily’s lap, allowing her to return the favor.  “But I’ll admit, having royalty at my mercy like this could make someone rather drunk with power of another sort altogether.  What ever shall I do now that you’ve ruined me?”  She mock pouted at the prospect before a quiet moan escaped her lips.  “Mmm….this is a fair trade already dear.”

“Somehow, I think you’ll manage just fine.”  Emily chuckled with another mirthful roll of her brown eyes.  “I don’t have a lot of practice honestly.”  She admitted, but that didn’t deter her from trying.

“You’re doing just fine. There's only one thing you need to know about giving a good foot massage.  Don't stop.”  Letting her head loll back, Zahra sighed and smiled, relaxing into the woman’s surprisingly dexterous fingers.  She figured there was a good reason for that of course, the least of which being her ability with a blade, but she was a bit preoccupied to give it much thought.  And honestly, it didn’t matter to her beyond simple, innocent curiosity.

“Sage advice.  Which, it turns out, equally applies to many other relaxing physical activities.”  Emily replied as she moved her hands to Zahra’s other foot, leaving the first comfortably perched on her leg for now.

Zahra snorted and smirked beneath half lidded eyes.  “That it does Emily.  Why, are you offering to up the ante already?”

“Just read your damn book and  _ try  _ to enjoy yourself.”  Emily groused as she took out her frustrations on Zahra’s stiff muscles.

“Such language.”  Zahra gasped, feigning shock before her mock frown morphed into an amused grin.  “Do you curse like that in front of everybody or just people you feel comfortable around?”

“You should have heard me in some of the Council meetings I’ve had to attend.  I was rarely the first to resort to crude, uncivilized language, but among that pack of fools, it’s a rare day that I wouldn’t have put a whaling crew to shame.”

“I knew there was a reason I was starting to like you already.”  Zahra happily declared as her back arched at Emily's surprisingly delicate touch.  “Oh yes, right there!”  She groaned aloud, both because it felt that good, but also just to rile Emily up in the process.

“Shhh!  Not so loud.  I don't want everyone in this bloody castle thinking I'm in the middle of my latest sexual conquest.”

“Too late for that.”  Zahra chortled but decided to relent as she reached over and put a hand on Emily’s wrist.  “But if it bothers you that much, I’ll refrain from embarrassing you further, promise.  That said, I'm more than willing to let you gag me if you have something else in mind. ”

“Don’t tempt me.”  Emily muttered darkly, but the color to her cheeks dispelled the notion she was truly upset with the still grinning tiefling as she pulled her legs off of the girl’s lap.

Zahra’s grin only widened as she propped herself up next to Emily, books in hand as she got comfortable next to the woman.  “Consider it practice for where we're going Emily.  But I could run out into the hall and tell everyone about the rough, passionate sex we aren't having right now if it will put you at ease.”

“No, it wouldn't!  And don't you dare!”  Emily hissed, her face almost as red as the woman’s skin at this point.

“Oh fine.”  Zahra once more pouted as she reached for the closest dusty tome.  With her tail gently wrapping protectively around her waist, the warlock smiled as she opened the book in her lap, producing a pair of reading glasses from her dark purple robes.  “Let’s see, what do we have here.  Ah, a general history of Exandria.  Huh, would you look at that?”  She said as she glanced at the title on the binding itself, before flopping it back open in her lap.  “The other one must be the one I recommended then.”  She said as she glanced at the second book in her lap, which she set aside for now on the bedside table.

“Really?  I could stand to hear a bit more.”  Emily, suddenly very interested, told her as she got into a more comfortable position next to the tiefling.

“Why do I get the feeling history makes you sleepy?”  Zahra asked, but smiled despite her suspicions as she too got comfortable and settled in for a strangely pleasant evening.

“No, not at all.  I'm thoroughly enthralled and you haven’t even started reading yet.”  It was a lie and they both knew it.  It was common knowledge among her old tutors that Emily had often passed out during her lessons as a child, often slumped over her desk after a gruelling day of learning the history of the Isles, arithmetic, and philosophy, to name only a few of the many subjects she had had to learn.

“Right.  If you don't make it to the end of the first chapter, you owe me, oh, let's say a nice romantic dinner.”

“Deal.”  Emily vowed with a nod as she held out her left hand.

Her unbranded hand, Zahra was quick to note as she firmly shook it. “It’s a date then.  It’ll likely be a candlelight dinner in Hell, knowing my luck, but at least it’ll be among friends.”

“Ahem.  I'm yearning to be filled with knowledge over here.”

“Keep bullshitting yourself dear.  It’ll make my victory all the sweeter.”  Zahra purred before flicking her gaze over the page before her.

While the history of Exandria was almost as boring as her old history classes regarding her Empire, Emily couldn’t help but listen, truly enthralled by the almost sensual tones of Zahra’s smoky, cultured voice.  She might have paid better attention with her tutoring her as a child, before her more….adult desires manifested themselves of course.  Still, she was as tired as she was comfortably warm and relaxed against the woman’s side, and such things were far from her mind as, despite her best efforts, her brown eyes slowly drooped close against her will.  The last thing Emily remembered seeing was Zahra’s slowly forming smile as she gently closed the book in her lap, having won but there was no sign of the victory on her face.

Zahra waited until Emily’s eyes had closed completely before whispering softly, “Hmm, only half a page left.  But you don't need to know that, now do you my kind, sweet Empress?”  Curling her arm around the girl’s shoulders so that her cheek rested against her shoulder, Zahra smiled warmly down at the peacefully sleeping woman’s face before she too quickly joined her for a long night’s sleep.

Emily awoke many hours later, feeling more rested and satisfied than ever, as she opened her eyes to greet the day.  There was one slightly insurmountable problem however as she tried to sit up.  Namely the warm, gently snoring tiefling body thoroughly draped against her own.  It wasn't going to be an easy feat to extract herself without disturbing an angelic looking, peacefully sleeping Zahra.

“This would be quite a sight,” Emily snapped her head to the source of the voice, only to see the Outsider standing at the foot of the bed, the world having turned dull and gray around him, “if it didn’t make me want to vomit.”

“What do you want?”  She whispered tersely, not realizing she had protectively pulled Zahra closer to her.  Not that it’d do her any good she knew, but thankfully the Outsider rarely did anything personally, having always prefered to work through proxies.

“As much as we might not agree, I do owe you a great deal of thanks.”  He mused as he teleported to the other side of the room, having perched himself on the edge of Zahra’s desk without disturbing any of the items spread across its surface.  “Without you and Delilah, I never would have found my way off of our little corner of a much vaster cosmos.  As a result, my influence has spread much further than it could have ever done back home with those blasted Overseers ruining everything at every turn.”

“So that’s why you sent that bard after us?”

The Outsider smirked darkly as he folded his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at her.  “Partially, but mostly I sent someone who had been stomped on by a different kind of upperclassmen, as so many of my Marked tend to do without needing me to push them in that direction.  Your new friends might be heroes, but they tend to do more damage than they could ever fix.”

“Is that why you seem so determined to kill one of them then?  Some sort of twisted good deed?”  She hissed, inwardly terrified of what might happen if Zahra woke up in his presence.

“Hardly Emily.”  The Outsider chuckled, his grin taking on a menacing edge.  “I was human before I was a god, you know that, but what you don’t realize is that I remember that desperation from when I was still flesh and bone.  So let me give you this quick reminder, since her dark majesty forcibly stripped it from your mind.  The Raven Queen’s ordered me dead and has put her Champion in a position to accomplish the task, so what do you think I’m going to do?  Lay down and take it like a good boy?  Not likely.”  He teleported yet again,  this time appearing on the right side of the bed, and menacingly leaned over Zahra's sleeping form, his hands having since moved to his back.  “I’ve seen monarchs fall and empires crumble, before rising up out of the dust only to fall again, leaving their discarded bones for the next people to discover and marvel at.  I might have seen my end at the hands of that half breed, but that’s just one of many possible outcomes, and I intend to come out ahead of this cosmic game of chess.”

“For a god, you’re an awfully chatty bastard.”  Before he or Emily could begin to comprehend what was happening, Zahra’s right hand shot out towards the Outsider, and grasped the front of his dark gray shirt.  Just as quickly she channeled a powerful blast of magical energy into his chest, flinging him across the room where he slumped, breathing heavily but still very much alive.

“I see….. perhaps I’ve overstayed my welcome.”  The Outsider growled through clenched teeth as he stood to his feet.  He was hurting, that much was obvious to Emily’s disbelieving gaze.  “I’ll be in touch.”  His black eyes turned murderous when he leveled his gaze on Zahra’s smug face, but he didn’t do anything save to disappear from the room, taking his foul, cold presence with him.

“You hurt him?”  Emily stammered out, unable to believe the impossible scene that had unfolded in front of her.

“He woke me up.”  Zahra replied as if attacking gods was something she did on a regular basis.  “ _ Nobody  _ gets away with waking me up early unscathed.  Unless it’s a lover’s head between my thighs, then I'm apt to make an exception naturally.”  Before Emily could begin to respond to that, Zahra gently but firmly pulled her branded hand up between them.  “So, I take it he’s responsible for this then?”

“He is, and it’s only recently that I’ve begun to regret it.” Emily whispered, still in complete awe of the incredibly powerful and beautiful woman lying next to her.

Zahra gingerly ran her fingers gently over the brand, feeling the strong, magical cold that emanated from the arcane sigil burned into the woman’s pale skin.  “I don’t know what drove you to bind yourself to such an entity, but I’m sure of one thing already Emily.  You did it for the right reasons.  That’s enough for me.”  She reassured her before squeezing her hand.  “But I am curious about the story you no doubt have to tell.”

“I just…”  Swallowing the fear, shock, and awe of it all, Emily shook her head and ran her hands down her face before daring to relax into Zahra once more.  “I'm sorry, here I was terrified for you one moment, and the next you were swatting  _ a god _ away like a bloodfly.”

“He admitted to being human.  I’ll acknowledge that he’s very powerful, but he’s no  _ god _ .  If I were to make an educated guess, I’d wager he’s much closer to a puffed up demon with delusions of grandeur.”  Zahra spat out, but her anger was reserved solely for the entity in question.  Something she made abundantly clear when she cupped Emily’s cheek and gently turned her head so they were eye to eye.  “You don't have to fear him anymore.  But if he bothers you again, well, I won't be quite so gentle next time.”  Emily didn’t doubt it as Zahra pulled her against her side, wrapping her arms and tail protectively around the woman.  Even when a guard came rushing in to check on them, having heard the noise, Zahra’s tail never left her waist.

But if there was one thing Emily had taken away from this entire exchange, it was this.  The Outsider could be hurt.  That meant he truly could die.  Thanks to Zahra, she had seen first hand proof of that, and Emily was most definitely not afraid of him anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the Outsider was the one marked for a change. He isn't going to be happy about that lol. Also, Zahra and Vax, those two are dangerous together, but I'll admit, I have a thing for sexy tiefling warlocks slash hot teacher types apparently. ;D It helps Zahra's pretty fucking awesome, hands down, and she's all too aware of the problem with being bound to something like the Outsider. We might not have ever really HEARD about whatever it is she endured as a child at the mercy of her father, but it's always been my weird canon that Zahra may or may not have been used for spell components. Nothing she couldn't naturally heal from of course, but the fact her father kept her in a cage at all says he wasn't looking out for her health. Basically, she was a tool for him, not a girl needing his love, that's what my head canon amounts to. But there was ONE problem I didn't like with the recent episodes for Critical Role.
> 
> Why the FUCK would Vox Machina not take Zahra with them when they visited the Nine Hells?! Lol seriously, she's a powerful badass warlock, she's a tiefling, and she's already proven herself MORE than capable in a fight. She'd be the perfect candidate even if she ISN'T able to speak Infernal, which I honestly don't know if she can or not. That's just me though, and I'm sure not everyone here will agree, but this is just fun fanfiction at the end of the day, and good god has it been fun lol. At any rate, take care folks and I hope you all continue to enjoy. Peace!


	13. Let the Show Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter offers a little more of an in-depth summary of what makes Emily who and what she is, but I had to rewrite most of this to get it to read the way I wanted it to. That's part of why it took so long to get this story updated, but I'm glad I finally got it done, despite it also being the first chapter I've written without my friend. Hope he's doing alright, wherever he is. That aside, I hope you guys and gals enjoy the story, and that I didn't screw up too badly lol. See ya!

**Chapter 12**

**Let the Show Begin**

It didn’t take long to share the news among the members of Vox Machina regarding their encounter with the Outsider once she and Zahra joined them for breakfast that morning.  Vax, once he had recovered from the shock of this latest revelation, was the first to whistle appreciatively towards the warlock in clear and present awe of her achievement.  “First Rimefang, then that beholder, and now an arsehole of a  _ god _ .  You don’t fuck around Z.”

“To be fair,” Zahra happily explained as she peered at the group over the rim of her glass of brandy, “I only hit the bastard with an Agonizing Blast, but as symbolic as it might have been, it’s the simple fact I hurt him at all that matters.  To make it better, he seemed genuinely surprised, if only for a moment.  So no, he’s no god, because an actual god would have seen that coming.”

“Or he’s really just that fucking stupid and arrogant.”  Vex muttered, her brown eyes gleaming at the possibilities this presented to them as Trinket waddled over to Zahra’s side of the table.  The great bear growled and huffed in greeting, earning an amused chuckle from the tiefling as she ran her hands along the bear’s neck and the sides of his head.  “I think he’s missed you.”

“Well of course he did, he’s such a noble and intelligent beast after all.  Yes you are.”  Zahra cooed, scratching the sides of Trinket’s neck for a few moments before letting him go.  Taking a sip from her glass, she turned her full attention back to the group.  “So, what’s the plan?”

“Before you get ahead of yourselves,” A rough, almost angry sounding voice called forth from the hallway before a heavily scarred, heavily armored man walked into the dining hall, “you might want to deal with the fucking giants that’ve been spotted in the mountain pass up the Alerbaster Sierras.  Unless trade isn’t a priority to you or anything.  I mean your sister  _ does  _ do all the work around-”

“It’s nice to see you too Kashaw,” Percy dryly replied, but the little smile he cast towards the clearly grumpy older man said this was an old song and dance between them, “but what’s this about giants?”

“Survivors from the siege of Emon, fire giants and their lizard friends.”  Kashaw explained as he helped himself to a large mug of ale.  What Emily found striking, beyond the strange collection of scars on his right arm, was that one of his eyes were bright yellow while the other was blue.  Beyond that, he was unremarkable, beyond being ruggedly handsome.  “At least that’s what I assume they were from the description I got from the last caravan that rolled into town about an hour ago.  Came up here once I got the wounded stabilized.”  Taking a long draught from his mug, Kashaw groaned softly in approval before letting his mismatched eyes fall on Emily.  “Who’s your new squeeze Z?”  He asked flatly.

“Be nice Kash, she’s an Empress if you must know.”  Zahra waited as he was taking another drink to drop that in his lap before Emily could think to silence her.

Coughing into his mug, Kashaw for his part recovered quickly despite the laughs from the rest of the group.  “Least you traded up.  Still didn’t answer my question, who’s the girl?”

“My name is Emily Kaldwin.”  Emily stated and crossed her arms under her chest, her brown eyes hard as she stared daggers at the rather gruff, brutish individual.

“Great, you know anything about fighting Emily, or you one of those completely useless high class types?”  Kashaw had his answer when he looked over his shoulder, and felt the tip of a sword resting against the back of his neck from a near identical copy of the woman glaring daggers at him from the table.  He shrugged but nodded his head when the Doppelganger disappeared in a puff of gray smoke, “Alright, you’ve got my attention.  We’ll see if you know how to actually use that pig sticker soon enough.”

“He grows on you dear, I swear.”  Zahra said as she patted Emily on her arm.

“Yeah, he does.”  Keyleth dreamily muttered under her breath, which earned an amused snort from the rogue at her side.

“Well, I can't say I'm that surprised.”  Zahra agreed after casting an amused, endearing smirk of her own towards their adorable, blushing druid.  “I never really gave a shit about manners anyway.  It's loyalty that counts when your back is to the fire.”

“Hmm.  Marry her Z.  Just being honest, you're not going to do any better in this lifetime.”  It was Emily’s turn to cough and sputter into her glass at Kashaw’s idle remark while Zahra grinned, almost as if she were genuinely interested at the prospect.

“The future is uncertain to us mere mortals.  Who knows?”  Patting Emily on the back to help her clear her airway, the tiefling chuckled softly at the mildly concerned glance she received from the Empress.  “Don’t worry, I’m not about to pop the question for at least a year dear, and that’s even assuming we like each other by then.”

“Or you’re both still alive.”  Grog sagely observed before Pike smacked him in the arm.  “What?  Just sayin’, not like we have the safest lifestyle.  Ow.”  Grog muttered as he dabbed at the blood coming out of his nose from the punch Pike aimed for his face the next moment.

“He does have a point.”  Vax agreed but shrugged his shoulders, his arm wrapped protectively around Keyleth’s waist.  “But giants, we can handle giants.”

“There’s something strange with  _ these  _ giants or so those merchants said.”  Kashaw said as he sipped at his glass again.  “They’re apparently following some woman around, red head, moves by teleportin’ around when she fought.  The guards the merchants had with them were wiped out nearly to the man long before the giants came up to finish the job.”  The worried glances the group shared earned a gruff scoff from the cleric.  “I see you know her.”

“You could say that.”  Keyleth uncomfortably admitted.

“Well shit.”  Vax muttered, looking around the dining hall warily, as if he expected the branded bard to bamf in at any moment.

“So long as she’s in the area, that means she and her allies can choke land trade to Whitestone.”  Cassandra, having joined the table’s occupants, set a heavily loaded plate before her but she ignored it for the moment, “And if she really is after this group you’ve assembled Percy-”

“Yes I know, and you’re right.  I wasn’t about to say we shouldn’t deal with her.”  Percy quickly said, agreeing with his sister, and not just because this was a problem of their own making from all appearances.

“Well, to be honest, we sort of found your brother darling. Nevermind, not important.  Lots of giants to kill.”  Quickly changing her tune when Cassandra’s flinty gaze fell on her, Vex put on the biggest smirk she could in an effort to defuse some of the anger leveled her way for trying to weasel her way out of this.

“You know what I mean  _ Lady  _ Vex’ahlia.”  Cassandra retorted coldly, reminding Vex that Whitestone and its people was technically her responsibility as well now, before her hardened gaze softened almost as quickly.  “I am not ungrateful for all that you’ve done for our family, not to mention the world, but we can’t leave such an obvious threat so close to the people here.  I know you have your trials yet to contend with, but there is still much recovery to do here before we can even think of dealing with something like this.”

“Right, right.  Of course sister.”  Percy chimed in just as Vex started to open her mouth.  Before she could recover from that, he had since turned his gaze back to Cassandra.  “Just out of curiosity, has our wolf friend Galdric scouted the area where these giants are holed up?”

“Yeah he did, about scared the piss out of me too while he was at it.”  Kashaw grumbled as Cassandra pulled out a map of the area around Whitestone.  Tapping at a familiar stone structure in the mountain passes, a thick forest along the west side of the Alerbaster Sierras, the fortress itself was on the east among a number of ridges and cliff faces.  The group shared another worried glance when recognition dawned on them.  Kashaw’s frown deepened when he saw the way they reacted.  “I take it you know the spot.”

Percy sighed and hung his head since they knew exactly what that place was.  “It’s a stone giants’ fortress, we passed it on our first trip to the castle while the Briarwoods were still in power.”

“Wasn’t there a bunch of crows flyin’ about the place?”  Grog asked, but if he’d expected a reply, he was summarily ignored.

“Gonna be a fucking nightmare trying to take that place, especially if those fire giants have been fortifying the area.”  Kashaw seemed almost giddy at the chance to poke at the group despite the unchanging, annoyed tone of his voice.

Zahra however, was all too happy to bite back against the taciturn cleric.  “Kash, I know how much you love provoking people into arguing with you, but we also both know you're smarter than that.”

“Fine.  You just gotta suck all the joy outta my life.”  Kashaw grumbled, but the little twitch to his face told another story.  “We could wait for them to come to us.  Give them a nice big juicy target and ambush then when they hit it.”

Emily couldn’t help but look at Vax for a moment, a plan already forming in her mind as she got a good look at the area around the stone giants’ fortress they were planning to assault.  “And allow them to slowly starve innocent people during the months such a siege will take for them to decide to actually attack?”

“You don’t know how industrious fire giants can be, lady.”  Kashaw grumbled in retort.

“Which means the longer we wait here, the more entrenched they’ll become, making them that much harder to dislodge.”  Emily retorted immediately, calm and cool even as her brown eyes fell on Kashaw’s face with the same intensity she reserved for a marked target.  If he was affected by the glare, he didn’t show it.

“She’s got a point.”  Vax agreed, his arms now crossed over his chest.  “And you haven’t seen her fight.  She’s  _ nearly  _ as good as I am.”

Ignoring the amusing if harmless, insult, Emily tapped at the map before turning to Kashaw.  “Fortresses are designed to repel armies, not a small team of equally skilled individuals.  Vax and I can slip in, weaken their forces from behind, while the rest of the group creates a distraction.  While you cause untold devastation in the open, we can do the same from the shadows.”

“I'm coming with you.”  Vex and Percy both said at the same time, before giving the other an annoyed frown.

“I'm far stealthier than you Percy, you'll only draw attention, and your guns aren't exactly quiet.”  Vex argued, to which most of the group agreed.

“Actually, I just had a terrible thought.”  Percy said as he glanced at the map again, his eyes settling on one of the ridges that overlooked the fortress from the east.  “I can easily take a sniper’s position on the far side of the place and give support from a distance.  I’d want someone to protect me if our bardic friend decided to drop in, but I can do a lot of damage while still playing a vital role in the assault.”

“I'll watch your back dear, and I'm a decent shot myself in a pinch.”  Zahra offered, earning a number of approving glances from the rest of Vox Machina.

“That will actually make me feel better, thank you.”  With a nod of his head, Percy stroked the bottom of his chin as he slowly turned to Vex next.  “If you think you can safely keep up with them, I’m not against sending you in there Vex, but I’d honestly feel better if you stayed relatively close at hand.”

Vex patted the human on the arm, her cheeks darkening at his well meaning worry for her safety.  “Your concern’s touching Percy, but I’ll be alright.”

“Of course, you'll be right next to me.”  Vax boasted with a grin, before rapidly adding, “And Emily too.”

“Well, if you three are doing the back door suicide run, that leaves the rest of us idiots to do the fun job.”  Kashaw chuckled mirthlessly as he groaned inwardly.  “Fire giants, why’d it have to be fire giants?  At least they go down like anything else we’ve fought.  It’s this bard you’ve mentioned that’s got my sack in a twist.  What’s this power she’s got that makes her so dangerous?”

“She’s human, that much we know for sure.”  Keyleth explained before her gaze uncomfortably moved to Emily’s face.  “Unfortunately….well, it’s a bit of a long story, but she’s-”

“She’s like me.”  Emily cut in, but gave the druid a comforting look to show she wasn’t offended by her attempt to lighten the blow such a confession would cause.

“Oh.  So what the hell can you do, besides that nifty instant threesome trick.”  Kashaw stated rather than asked, to which Vex chuckled and blushed, which had him raising an eyebrow, intrigued immensely.  “You’re shittin’ me.”

“Nope.”  Vex cheerfully exclaimed. “Foursome, actually.”

“Okay, I’m slightly more impressed now.”

“Moving on.”  Vax hurriedly muttered.

“As Keyleth already said, it’s a long story,” Emily began a moment later, picking up where the rogue had left off, “but the summary is that I and this bard have made a kind of deal with a being called the Outsider.”

“Let me guess, a fucking god of dubious morality?”  Kashaw asked, his gaze hardening even as his eyes flicked to the scars on his right arm.

“Not a god.”  Zahra muttered loudly, making her thoughts abundantly clear on the subject.

“Whatever.  What else did this  _ not-a-god  _ give her that I should know about?”

While Emily had seen the way his gaze moved to the strange marks along his right arm, she didn’t comment on it.  It was becoming clearer that he was uncomfortable with this conversation, most likely because he had begun to suspect it mirrored his own in some way.  “Near instant teleportation called Blink, and she can also copy herself the same way I can.  But if that’s all she has or if she’s been holding back, we don’t know.  It's best to assume she has all my abilities, perhaps more.  So she'll be able to mark us at a distance, binding our fates to each other if she chooses.  As well as a shadow form she can use at will.”

“Okay, so she’s a suped up bardic bitch.  I got the first one, but what the hell does-"  Emily sighed and burst into her Shadow Walk form, dissolving into the floor before appearing behind a stunned Kashaw, her demonic visage inches away from him when he spun on his heel to face her.  The billowing smoky form lashed out at him just as he jerked back out of its reach.  Kashaw blinked dumbly as he stumbled back, the color drained from his face, but his voice was surprisingly steady as Emily returned to her human state.  “Okay.  That's going to be a major pain in the ass.”

He was hardly the only one that was a little unnerved as Cassandra and Zahra both stared at Emily with a mixture of surprise and slight fear, but it was quick to disappear from their respective faces.  “That was eerily similar to Orthax.”  Cassandra shuddered, remembering well her brief encounter with the shadow demon.

“That’s exactly what I said.”  Percy mused, but he too was slightly uncomfortable for the same reason.

“You’ve been holding out on us dear.”  Zahra observed, far more intrigued despite her initial shock at the transformation she’d witnessed.

Taking her seat once more, Emily’s pale face was noticeably paler.  “It’s quite draining, so I try not to use it if I can help it.”

“Ah, I see.”  Zahra replied, and pushed her mostly untouched plate of food in front of Emily before going to get a fresh one for herself.  When she began to protest, the tiefling’s gaze became hard and unyielding, cluing the Empress into the fact she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Finding the silent exchange incredibly amusing, Kashaw allowed himself a brief chuckle before saying, “So, in the shit, you can pull that off how long?”

“Sixty seconds, tops.  I can use it more than once if I have to, but I’m pushing my luck past three times.  Besides, I use it for stealth strikes far more than straightforward assaults.”  Emily nodded her thanks when Grog poured her a fresh glass of wine from his magical alchemical jug before taking a few moments to stuff her face.  Zahra’s gift of her plate was well received after demonstrating the Shadow Walk, and before she came up for air, a fourth of the contents were gone.  “Mmmm….but before we do anything, I do need to use some of that gunpowder I purchased to make new bullets, but I also need to make more of my sleep darts.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea.  I could do some maintenance to my own armaments in preparation anyway.”  Percy said as he glanced meaningfully towards Emily.  “Which brings up an interesting topic.  Since we’re all on the same team now, I would make a small request?”  When she nodded and waited for him to go forward, Percy took off his spectacles, rubbed one of the lenses on his jacket’s sleeve, and put them back on.  “I don’t mind if you use my workshop, in fact I’d happily encourage you to do so whenever you need, but would you mind not sharing anything about your guns with me?”

Emily just managed to keep the effect the flash of memory those words unlocked from appearing on her face, but it took her a moment to respond to the request.  “O-of course.”  She didn’t ask, not that she needed to thanks to the Outsider spilling Percy’s secrets to her, but Emily was still strangely touched by his earnest need to not learn more about the very things he had let loose upon this world.  “I’ll do my best to keep you in the dark as much as possible.”

“What, why?”  Grog asked, scratching his head as he looked between her and Percy and back again.  “I mean Bad News is awesome, but she’s got a deadly lookin’ peashooter, better than that old gun what was cursed and all.  Why wouldn’t you-”

“Because Grog, it’s much more dangerous than even I’m ready for.”  Percy stated flatly, making it clear to everyone he wasn’t about to change his mind.  “It’s problematic enough I know about those bullets she keeps on her person, no offense of course.”  He added as an aside towards the royal assassin.

“It’s fine.”  Emily waved dismissively, understanding where the gunslinger was coming from.  It made her decision as to what she’d do first that much easier as she turned her gaze to Keyleth.  “I could use a hand finding and preparing the alchemical components needed for my sleep darts.”  She stated rather than asked, but she still held her breath as Keyleth looked up from her vegan meal and blinked, surprised that she was being addressed.

“What?  You want  _ me  _ to help you?”  Keyleth echoed, before shaking her head of short red hair once she recovered from her mild shock.  “I mean, I’ll...do what I can of course, but I wouldn’t know what to look for.”  She blinked again when Emily turned her travel log towards the druid, revealing a comprehensive list of the materials she’d need, along with helpfully drawn pictures of the plants and insects commonly used for the concoctions.  “Oh, well that makes it simple.  Not so sure about that wasp looking thing, but there might be a pretty close variant I can locate if we’re lucky.”

“If that’s everything,” Pike began as she folded her hands in front of her, above her mostly empty plate, ”then we should get started as soon as possible.”

Adjourning once everyone had gotten some food in their bellies, they split up, with Emily, Keyleth, and Pike heading into the woods and fields at the edge of Whitestone while everyone else tended to their own preparations.  The morning was comfortably cool, overcast with a light smattering of clouds, but the sun still had a long way to go yet before it was the afternoon, which meant it would get warmer in a few hours.  Taking a look of the village from a large hill, Emily held her travel log loosely in one hand, but she had momentarily forgotten their purpose with the morning sun cresting over the mountainous terrain.

It was a beautiful sight as the area brightened, revealing more and more of the castle overlooking the quaint, peaceful village beneath the mountain like cliff Whitestone rested upon.  “I’m half tempted to move the capital to a place like this.”  Emily muttered aloud, and while her words hadn’t been meant for Pike or Keyleth, she still sensed their approving gazes before she turned to face them directly.

“It’s worth protecting.”  Keyleth agreed in her own way with a sage nod of her head.  “Especially without the Briarwoods cursing the land, making the people miserable, and oh, trying to summon or revive or whatever they were doing, an evil god called Vecna.”

“Long story.”  Pike said before Emily could ask.  “But there’s still something beneath Whitestone that they left behind that we have no idea how to deal with.  It’s been several months though with no change, so until something happens or we learn more, we’ve kinda agreed to ignore it.”

While it left her with so many questions, mostly about the Briarwoods that had hurt Percy and his sister so badly, Emily didn’t pursue that conversation further for the moment as she flipped open her travel log before kneeling down to collect the first of her materials.  While there was conversation between them, it was largely idle banter, the kind that was not worth repeating but was largely comforting all the same.  By the time they left the fields and forests, their respective satchels full of various plants and insects they’d been able to find, whatever trepidation regarding their future confrontation that had gripped them had largely faded.

The rest of her afternoon saw Emily preparing those same ingredients in Percy’s workshop.  For being almost half a decade behind her in terms of technological advancement, the man’s tinkering space was nearly perfect for everything she required without further interference from her, which fit his request she keep her secrets regarding the workings of her various weapons to herself.  The few things she had to create herself from scratch were completed easily enough, and while it took up more of her time, Emily didn’t mind too terribly much since it allowed her to think and process everything as she hammered out new shell casings.  At the same time, she waited for her alchemical mixtures to finish, having set up the lab equipment she required in a nearby workbench.

By the time she finished, it was early evening, her hands were covered in soot, ash, and dirt, but Emily felt that familiar rush of satisfaction at a job well done as she gently shut Percy’s door behind her.  The man himself had come down to do some maintenance on his own tools and equipment and had largely left her alone, but despite his request, she had felt his gaze fall upon her every so often.  Emily had found it amusing, since it seemed his curiosity was too strong for him to resist trying to catch a glimpse of her pistol’s innards as she efficiently disassembled the entire thing, cleaned, oiled, and polished every mechanism, and put it back together with the same efficiency before repeating the process with her crossbow.  But that hadn’t stopped her from giving him an amused little smirk as she raised an eyebrow after the third time he glanced her way, earning an uncomfortable cough and a stammered apology before Percy quickly returned to his own devices, both literal and metaphorical.

From there, after devoting a little time to cleaning up her mess, both around her workspace and of her own person, Emily and the rest of the group had a quick dinner before she was informed that they’d be heading out immediately.  That got her attention, but at the same time, Emily could see the tactical advantage of heading out now with the sun descending past the mountains.  That they were nestled at the end of a peninsula, with mountains and forests on every side, made Whitestone quite defensible, but it also meant there was only a few ways in or out of the area.  Which meant the bard had the advantage in that she could easily cut off Whitestone, but she didn’t know the area nearly as well as Percy and his friends.

Which meant they knew ways in and out of the Alebaster Sierras, and with darkness falling, it’d make it that much simpler for them to get close without being seen.  That was the idea at least.  Time would tell if it actually worked out that way, but she fell in behind Vox Machina without complaint, Zahra and Kashaw, despite the latter not trusting her yet, flanking her.  It certainly explained the occasional glance she caught from the corner of the man’s mismatched eyes at any rate.

“Hey Emily?”  Emily blinked, temporarily surprised by Keyleth’s presence as the druid slowed her stride so she could walk next to the empress.  When she nodded for her to go on, once Kashaw rolled his eyes and made it a point to push ahead to give them some privacy, Keyleth relaxed and shook her head when Zahra made to move along as well.  “It’s fine, Kashaw could have stayed too but….you know what?  Doesn’t matter.”

“Use your words darling, what’s on your mind?”  Zahra asked, her right hand wrapped along the metallic shaft of her staff, its large glowing moonstone gem glowing softly in the dark around them.

The gentle prodding did more than Emily would have anticipated as Keyleth nodded her head, as if coming to a decision.  “R-right, sorry.  I just...wanted to ask why?  You obviously didn’t need me with those drawings you had in your book.”

“I’m not from here.”  Emily was quick to remind her, but that didn’t satisfy Keyleth, she noted, as Keyleth’s brow furrowed and her green eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

“Come on Emily, you’re too smart to let that stop you.”  Keyleth immediately pointed out, but if she had hoped for a response, she was disappointed as Emily’s face remained unchanged.  She didn’t let it deter her though.  “You’re genuinely clever, unlike Taryon although he’s been growing on everyone, me included, and you obviously know how to handle yourself in a fight like Vax.  Not to mention but you’re pretty smart, like Percy, so why ask me to help you find all those plants you mixed into more of your sleep darts?”

“Especially since we’re going out to kill these fire giants?”  Emily finished for her, asking the question that was most likely and truly on Keyleth’s mind.

“Well, that’s part of it yeah,” she admitted uncomfortably, but just as quickly said, “but I’m just trying to figure you out.”

Emily didn’t respond visibly, but the way her eyes flicked towards the grass at their feet as they continued forward said a great deal more.  “It’s….complicated, but the short answer is that I’d rather not fight at all anymore, I’d rather not have any more blood on my hands.”  She looked up then, the sudden movement catching Keyleth off guard as she missed a step, but Emily’s hand on her shoulder just as quickly steadied her.  “But I also acknowledge the fact that there is, at times, no choice but to defend your home and the people that look to you for guidance.  You understand that, and you were right you know.”

“A-about what?”  Despite the question, stammered out as it was, there was a slight twist to the druid’s lips that said she had guessed already what Emily had hinted at.

Emily didn’t disappoint her.  “About bringing your tribe into the light, ending their isolation, but you were wiser than you know in wanting to do so over a long period of time.  Too fast and you risk too much change too quickly, of throwing too much at your people to the point they dig their heels in.  But take things too slowly, and you have the opposite problem, with people most likely leaving the tribe without the acceptance and permission of those around them.”

Before Keyleth could respond to that, Emily moved her hand to her arm and gently squeezed, her fingers a comforting presence.  “I don’t know near enough about your people to offer more than that, Keyleth, especially since ruling an Empire is vastly different from trying to lead a few tribes of what, a couple thousand strong?”

“There’s a  _ little  _ more than that, but I understand what you’re saying.”  Keyleth replied, and while she was disappointed, Emily still saw the grateful gleam in her eyes as she reached a hand up to the one on her arm.  “But you don’t mind my asking?  You’re the only person I know that’s traveling with us who’s actually ruled anything bigger than a kingdom.  Every other ruler I’ve met have either died when the dragons attacked, or they were….unapproachable.”

Emily let her hand fall, smiling despite herself since she knew exactly what Keyleth was talking about.  Royalty were like that everywhere, surrounding themselves with guards, loyal subjects, and servants, and while the good ones made time for their people, even they didn’t mingle with the common folk more often than not.  And while she had been no exception, Emily was glad to do what little she could for an aspiring leader as Keyleth, even though she was already on her way to being a competent one, despite the things Emily had said just the other night.

Zahra watched on, her silver glowing eyes shining a little brighter as Keyleth and Emily continued to talk.  Leaving them at it, she rejoined Kashaw’s side, smiling even as her friend and ‘brother’ rolled his eyes again at her.  “What?”

“Nothing Z, I just find it incredibly amusing.”  Kashaw replied flatly, but try as he might, he couldn’t keep the frown on his face.  “She might be strange, and not in a way I’m comfortable with, but I’m starting to warm up to her.  It’s obvious she gives a damn, and you like her and you only just met her yesterday.  That’s gotta count for something.”

Kashaw blushed when Zahra leaned in and left a chaste kiss on his cheek, far more familial in nature than romantic.  “I always knew under that gruff exterior lied a good man Kashaw.”

“Y-yeah, just don’t go spreading that around.  I have a rep-”

“Yes a reputation, I know.”  She chuckled endearingly, just in time for her tail to slap at the near invisible assassin on her right.  Emily yelped as she rubbed at her butt, Keyleth giggled just behind them, while Zahra just grinned as she glanced towards them both.  “And now you’re wondering how I knew.  That’s easy dear, I didn’t hear you speaking to Keyleth anymore.”

“Remind me not to try that again.”  She muttered, shooting Keyleth an amused glare over her shoulder.

“I’ll be sure to get her back for tempting you dear Emily.  Besides, if anyone’s going to corrupt the future of the Empire, it’s going to be me.”  Zahra proudly declared, laughing heartedly as Emily’s cheeks turned almost as red as her skin.  It wasn’t long before the rest of Vox Machina joined them.

Two hours later, deep in the mountainous terrain of the Sierras, they set up camp.  Finding an empty cave in the side of a high ledge, Vax, Vex, and Emily scouted the place before giving the rest of the group the all clear.  Her Far Reach got their lighter members up on the ledge in short order.  Vex and her magical broom, barring Grog who simply climbed his way up the side of the wall, handled the rest.  Taryon’s clockwork soldier found its own way as well, although with not quite as much grace as the goliath managed to pull off.  While Keyleth could have easily gotten up under her own power, Emily hadn’t minded lending a hand, or a tendril of Void stuff, to help things along.

Stumbling a bit from the overuse of her various powers, Emily found it was Keyleth’s hands holding her upright as Vax hurried to their side.  “I’m alright.”  Emily stated despite feeling exhausted from all of the day’s activities.  “I just need a minute to rest.”

“Good thing we’re making camp then Ems.  Key-”

“Already on it.”  Despite her protests, Emily found herself being helped along by Vax and Keyleth, her arms thrown over their shoulders.  “That Shadow Walk must have taken a lot more than you admitted.”

It wasn’t a bad guess on Keyleth’s part, although the recent, repeated uses of Far Reach hadn’t helped as they assisted her into the cave before gently helping her down by the fire Vex had already lit.  Being allowed to sit down at last did a great deal to relieve some of her exhaustion though, so Emily didn’t complain further once she was sure she wasn’t about to fall over.  “It did.”  She admitted once Vax and Keyleth had sat on her right side, with Keyleth furtively glancing her way every so often.

“You’ll be alright in the morning I assume.”  Vax stated rather than asked as he accepted a fresh bowl of rabbit stew his twin had rustled up in short order.

“Y-yeah, I’ll be fine.”  Emily assured the group at large.

“Good, wouldn’t want to get to this shithole only to find out we’re down a fighter before the actual fighting starts.”  Kashaw remarked in that deadpan, annoying way he had about him as he passed a bowl to Zahra, who passed it along to another of the group.  “Which brings me to my next ques-”

“You want to know my story.”  Emily finished for him.  “I already got interrogated by Zahra.”

“Guilty as charged.”  The tiefling happily admitted, but the thoughtful frown on her face told another story as she turned to the cleric.  “And Kashaw, you can trust her.”

“It’s okay Zahra,” Emily stated, touched that she was trying to defend her honor, “you deserve to know anyway, especially if we’re going to be fighting tomorrow morning.”

“Are you sure you want to though Emily?”  Pike asked, which again earned a sad but widening smile from the Empress.

“It gets easier with every telling.”  She assured the gnome, and while she was fully aware that she hadn’t divulged everything to Vox Machina either, they had heard enough by now to know what kind of person she was.  Now was a good as time as any to get everything out into the open.  “And it’s not about a matter of  _ wanting  _ to do so, but rather needing to.  A distinction that needs to be made, and I hope by the end of my story, you’ll understand why I bring it up.”

It took her a moment to steady herself as her gaze became distant, the light of the small fire the only thing she dare focus on.  It centered her thoughts, made it easier to speak of things only a handful of people had any real clue about, and that number had drastically shrunk in the last two months.  But she pushed ahead, her voice low but still audible to everyone around her.  "Fifteen years ago, my mother, Empress Jessamine Kaldwin, was murdered.  The thing I remember the most of that day is the blood.  The way it splattered, its exact color in the gray Dunwall morning light, and the smell of it.  I sometimes wake up seeing it in my mind's eye before I’m dragged away by the same men who did the deed, its scent in the air.... after that came the terror as I was carried across the rooftops, blinking in and out of existence.  I could hardly think for... I don’t know how long.  It got a little better with time, but... were it not for Corvo, the man who I’d later learn was my father, and my mother’s Royal Protector... he made sure that I got the chance to truly live, not just exist."

“So he showed you how to fight?”  Pike asked.

“Yes.  He often said our enemies would come for us again, but that would come later.  But more importantly, I was empowered and given the confidence to take care of myself, something I’ll always be grateful for.”  Emily replied, hoping it’d be enough to steer the conversation back to the beginning.

“What happened back then, exactly?”  Vex asked quietly, helping things along while being the first to break the uncomfortable silence that had begun to settle around the campfire.

“The specifics would take too long to get into, but the summarized truth is that men in Dunwall Tower thought they could do my mother’s job better than she could.  Our Royal Spymaster had plague rats brought into the city, in the hopes of clearing out the poor of our home, but also to undermine my mother’s authority at the same time.  It worked, a little too well.  The plague spread out of control, hundreds of people lost their homes, their lives, and many more became Weepers before they too eventually perished.  Maddened by the plague, they bled from the eyes and nose, attacking anyone that dared to approach them.  I never saw one up close, but I’ve always had a pretty good imagination.  But after spending time in the Flooded District, where the assassins initially brought me and where the guards were dumping the afflicted when the dam broke about the same time the plague began, I had incentive later to clear the entire District once the plague was cured.  All this leads to who I became, and what I’ve done since.”

“Can’t imagine it coulda been easy.”  Grog rumbled in that deceptively clever way he had about him.  “How long were ya gone?”

“Six months, three weeks, and two days.”  A ghost of a smile flickered across Emily’s face when most of the group gasped quietly or looked surprised by how exact that number had been.  “Even at ten years old, I was smart and cunning.  I nearly escaped my captors twice when I was handed over to a woman that ran….call it a bathhouse, in one of the better sections of Dunwall.  In that time, people that called themselves the Loyalist Conspiracy got together, made arrangements to have Corvo freed from prison, and in a little as a week and a half, Corvo had subdued nearly every traitor that had taken over the Empire while freeing me in the process.”

“At which time the Loyalists would turn around and try to poison Corvo.”  Percy said, earning a nod from Emily who was slightly impressed with his memory.

“Fucking idiots.”  Kashaw muttered, before just as quickly saying, “so I assume he succeeded in taking them down too, or we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation?”

“Correct, although the leader of the ‘Loyalists’ did most of the work for him when he realized he wasn’t going to get away with it.  The former Admiral, Havelock, due to a combination of fear and well founded paranoia, would murder his own allies, just as he had executed most of the staff that had tended to the day to day of their hideout once Corvo was poisoned, presumed dead.  I can still hear the gunshots to this day.”  As if to prove that very point, Emily raised her right hand, and summoned forth the one aspect of her abilities she had yet to reveal to anyone in this world.  The diamond like rip in reality as the Void bled through the tiny tear that appeared just above her branded hand had everyone staring at her, utterly enraptured but not enthralled as many had been before by Mesmerize’s mind bending presence.  “Which leads to the Outsider, and how his gifts manifest differently for everyone.”  Emily softly said as she closed her hand, dismissing the tear at the same time.

“I remember, you said it depends on the individual.”  Vex chimed in, earning another nod from Emily before a thoughtful frown pulled at the ranger’s lips.  “So wait, I get Doppelganger and Domino, being an Empress and all, but what- oh gods.”  The horrible realization left Vex’s mouth open in a silent O, but she recovered just as Vax leveled his gaze on her, understanding having hit him about the same time.  “That scar….all those times you saw people killed….that’s what Mesmerize is, isn’t it?”

Emily returned her gaze to the fire that had begun to die down at this point, painting most of her face in flickering shadow.  “It’s more born from my mother’s death, but yes.  I’ve seen too many people I care about killed, too many betrayals, too many unpleasant truths shoved in my face to ever be alright again.  And two months ago, it happened again, with Delilah Copperspoon orchestrating a coup against me and my father.  And the bitter irony is that two months ago, I had been running across rooftops, trying to escape the weight of my crown, if only for a few hours.  I got what I wanted, and I’d give almost anything I have left to have it all back the way it was before.”  Swallowing the lump in her throat, Emily chuckled wryly before she added, “I’d want my younger self to know what I know now is the only thing I’d change.  Maybe then I wouldn’t make so many mistakes, I’d pay more attention in the Council meetings I sat and daydreamed through, I’d be more selective about the people who took up guard positions, to name only a few things I let slide.”

“You’re able to acknowledge your mistakes,” Percy began, waiting just long enough for her to look away from the fire before he pressed forward, “that takes more strength than you might realize.”

“Yes, because that’s all I can do about it now.  I can't undo what I did, no matter how much I wish I could.”  And she  _ very  _ much wished she could, but she still managed to smile gratefully to the people around her as she subtly wiped at her eyes with the back of her unmarked hand.

“Well,” Keyleth began, smiling softly now that she too had gotten over her initial shock and awe, “if it’s any consolation Emily, I’m glad to have met you.”  A sentiment that was echoed by everyone, save for Kashaw who remained silent, but the little half smirk he allowed to appear on his face said he agreed with them.

The feeling was mutual for Emily as well.  “Now that I’m not being a spoiled child?”  She asked, and softly chuckled when Keyleth giggled uncomfortably but nodded in agreement.

“W-well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but y-yeah.”  Once more the group laughed and grinned in response when she admitted as much.  Keyleth too visibly relaxed and smiled though, basking in the warm companionship on every side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meh, I'm still not completely happy with this chapter, but it's far better than what it was. Originally I had planned to have a conversation between Emily, Keyleth, and Pike about Dunwall and the Overseers, but it just seemed to be forced and didn't flow well at all. So I gutted it and wrote in what you see now as they prepare to assault the stone giants' old fortress. Next chapter will officially begin the fun. See ya!


	14. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a while, but I was finally able to find a path forward that I actually liked. I just hope the rest of you agree. It DOES get a little heavy emotionally near the second half of this, but nothing I'd consider trigger worthy. I could be wrong though, so read with caution at the very least, but I'm pretty sure it's okay. Anyway, enjoy!

**Chapter 13**

**Preparations**

Breaking camp early the following morning, it took the group another two hours of mountain hiking, and hiding from some kind of large, lightning spewing draconic like beast that let an intimidating roar spill forth from its tooth filled maw, before they finally saw the stone giant’s fortress.  Cresting a stony ledge, hidden like a secret, quiet as a sunset to quote her father, Emily, Vex, who was sitting on her broom, and Vax peered just beyond the edge of their hiding spot on the very edge of the fortress’s immense shadow.  It was just as well that they did as the twins shared an uneasy glance between them before Vax whispered, “That could be a problem Stubby.”

“Whatever could you mean, brother?”  Vex asked dryly, seemingly unaffected by the sight laid out before them even as she refused to look away.

Having never dealt with anything more intimidating than Delilah’s coven before finding herself in this world, Emily didn’t know just what they were in for as she too peered at the almost frenzied activity below them some hundred meters away.  But she took her cues from those around her, and it was probably just as well because both Vax and Vex seemed genuinely concerned.  Even without her spyglass, which Emily pulled out and put against her left eye, she could see they were in for a very hard fight.  A closer look only confirmed it as she swept her gaze over the fire giants’ camp.

“They’ve made substantial upgrades to the fortress already.”  Vax explained as Emily scanned the area.  “The tower alone is taller,” he explained as her gaze fell upon the several story tall structure that was all smooth stone edges and too perfectly aligned angles to be natural, “and with those guard stations, marking a place where they intend to make a thick wall across the path, there’s no way a caravan will be coming through here again if we allow them to finish.”  Sure enough, Emily could see where signs of guard towers and keeps had begun to rise, appropriately sized for the gigantic men and women that walked through the large valley spread out below them.  If they did indeed manage to finish their fortress, it would take an army to dislodge them.

And that was only the start of the bad news as Vex was quick to point out.  “It’s the fact they’re taking the time to make barracks and living spaces for their lizard friends that I’m worried about.”  Having her gaze forcibly pulled to the much smaller buildings in question, as well as a staircase that wound its way around the tower, splitting so that a part of it disappeared into the mountain the fortress was built out of, Emily was forced to follow as her chin was yanked to another section of the massive structure.  Inside the marked boundaries of their outer wall, she could see a large number of perhaps fifty of the smaller lizards they’d run into before, with what looked like large, winged creatures following at their heel, most of them bearing saddles that she could just make out what looked like spears, crossbows, and more sticking out of various pouches along the intricate leather draped across the winged beasts’ scaly hides.  “Wyverns, I thought the Air Ashari got them all?”  Vex asked as her hand fell away from Emily’s chin.

“They got  _ most  _ of them.”  Vax replied a little rougher than he’d intended if Emily was any reliable judge as she caught him looking at his sister apologetically the moment the words left his mouth.  “I’m just glad there aren’t more giants to worry about.  They’re going to be the real threat out of anything else.”  Considering the size and scale of the heavily armored red and orange skinned creatures in question, Emily couldn’t blame Vax for worrying about the odds stacked against them.  The fact those same giants had very large piles of rocks and boulders scattered about the area wasn’t lost on her.  Ammunition.  She was willing to bet her last gold coin that they didn’t need catapults or trebuchets, not when they could most likely throw those rocks with the same strength without the limitations such machines imposed on their operators.

“Says the guy who can fly without a piece of wood between his legs.”  Vex replied, smirking cheekily as both Vax and Emily, once she’d pulled her spyglass away from her face for a moment, gave the ranger slightly disgusted and exasperated looks.  She merely winked in response, having successfully lightened the mood a little, which had been the point Emily rightfully guessed as Vex waved her hand to the giant camp.  “I think we’ve learned what we can.  We should get back before we’re spotted.”  She said, all business now as she started ahead, her powerful bow finding its way to her hands as she guided her broom with just her lean, muscular thighs.

“That’s our cue to disappear.”  Vax stated next, to which Emily silently nodded her agreement as she collapsed her spyglass before tucking it back onto her belt.  Between Vex’s spell that made them that much harder to detect, something called Pass Without a Trace, and a magical dust of some sort that Vax threw liberally into the air as they walked away, the trio left no sign to say they’d ever been on the cliff.

Making their way back to the rest of the group who had hidden themselves some ways up the valley path, Emily pulled her embroidered scarf down away from her mouth as she, Vax, and Vex who had since hopped off of her broom, began to fill in the others on what they’d seen.  It didn’t take long, but the more they spoke of what they’d seen, the less sure Emily was of their chances of success.  But she forcibly shook her head as Vax finished speaking, and nodded her head in agreement to what the twins had told the others.  “We  _ can  _ do it,” she began hesitantly, “but it’s going to be an incredibly difficult fight.  And while I’ve gotten into places like this before, I’ve never faced anything like these giants.  I have no idea if my powers will work on them.”

“Maybe not Domino or Mesmerize,” Percy agreed, “but the rest of your skillset should still be devastatingly effective.  That’s not to say you shouldn’t try your various talents, but it’s best to err on the side of caution.”

“Because we do that  _ so  _ well.”  Grog rumbled sarcastically, chuckling softly, for him at least, before he shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms over his large chest.  “But we fucked up these guys ‘for right?  We can ‘andle ‘em.  Besides, without Thordak around, all we have to  _ really  _ worry about is that bard bitch and this fuckin’ Outsider.”

“It’s the Outsider I’m truly worried about.”  Pike muttered uncomfortably, earning a quiet nod from Emily while the rest glanced at the gnome questionably.  “Think about it.  If he was able to empower this woman to the point she ran circles around us, he could just as easily do the same to someone else, or a group of people.”  That was a horrifying thought no one wanted to think about.  But before it could settle, the uneasy silence that fell over them was shattered by a determined, confident denial.

“He won’t.”  Emily stated firmly, drawing everyone’s gaze to her in an instant.  “Out of all the recorded history we’ve been able to find or that we’ve chronicled in my world, the Outsider has only Marked eight people, and not counting myself, I’ve known three of them.  A small boy that controlled rats near the beginning of the plague, my father, Delilah, and Daud.  He might be desperate to protect himself, but he won’t break his own rules about giving his power to just anyone.  The Outsider wants to be a part of history, even if it’s done through proxies as his Marked.  And don’t forget that he’s seen his own death, he knows it’s a possibility he won’t survive whatever happens next.  And if there’s one thing the Outsider loves above anything else, it’s to watch world shaking history unfold.  What could be more exciting than facing his own demise and coming out ahead?”

“So,” Zahra began, a smile appearing on her face that displayed her slightly pointed teeth, giving her beautiful face a predatory gleam, “not only is he an arsehole, but he’s an egotistical arsehole.  It’s nice to know he likes a good show.”

“While some of this we’ve already discussed,” Percy said as he stroked the bottom of his chin, “I agree with Zahra.  But we unfortunately can’t use it to our advantage.  Not if he’s seen every possible outcome as you’ve claimed.  He likely already knows how we’ll act long before we do, which means he could have easily told our bardic friend we’re here and what we’re planning.  Just because he likes a good show doesn’t mean he won’t break his own self imposed rules to protect himself at all costs.”

“Maybe,” Emily agreed, but the defiance in her brown eyes as she pulled her father’s sword told another tale,” but I don’t intend to let him have his way.  Not anymore.”

“You’re talking about going up against a  _ god _ .”  Vax intoned gravely.  While he wasn’t against the idea, he was pointing out the immensity of the task she was putting before them.

“Delilah thought herself a god in the end, and I still stopped her.”  Emily countered as she unfolded her blade for added weight to her declaration.  Her resolve was not going to be shaken again.  “I don’t want to face the Outsider anymore than you do, but this is a fight that I’ve brought here, and I intend to finish it before anyone else is lost to the Void he speaks for.  I have no idea if we’ll succeed, what will happen if we somehow pull this off, I just know what I have to do.  And as much as-”

“Yes yes, we get it darling,” Zahra interrupted her as she walked up to the Empress and put a hand on her shoulder, “but you don’t have to convince us.  We’re with you ‘till the bitter end.  Where they go, I go.”

“Speak for yourself Z.”  Kashaw deadpanned, but the grim line of his pursed lips, as well as the defiant gleam in his mismatched eyes, said he was going to be around for the long haul.

“I’m never one to say no to a good fight.”  Vex said as a wide, wicked grin pulled at her face while Vax remained silent.  The lopsided smirk he graced her with though spoke volumes as he casually twirled one of his daggers in his left hand.  “God or not, we’re ending this, somehow.”

“Indeed.”  Keyleth chimed in next, her staff held firmly at her side as her mantle, still draped across her shoulders, gently danced on the wind she generated.  If she needed any further proof Keyleth was meant for greatness, Emily was sold as she saw what the young half elven redhead could potentially become if properly steered towards what she saw in that moment.

“Yeah!  Let’s fuck their shit up!”  Grog growled cheerfully while Pike pumped one oversized gauntlet into the air with a cry of her own.

“You already know my answer, so I shan’t bother repeating myself.”  Percy said as he pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose with one gloved finger.  “My home, my sister, is in danger again, but this time I’m in a position to do something about it with my  _ new  _ family.”  He paused just long enough to let his gaze sweep across the entirety of Vox Machina, Zahra and Kashaw included, a grim if contented smile spreading across his face.  “I could not be prouder or happier to have found you all.  Grog, Keyleth, Vax, Pike, Tiberius, Scanlan, Vex,” the last he said with a certain reverence and warmth reserved only for her, “and so many others that have made an impact upon my existence.  We finish what we’ve begun by wiping out the last of the Chroma Conclave’s followers.  Or we all die horribly gruesome and painful deaths.”

“Well when you put it like that Percy….”  Keyleth trailed off, but despite the morbid thought, she didn’t change her stance save to give the white haired gunslinger an amused roll of her eyes.  “So when do we start?”

“A night assault would probably still be best.”  Vax said as he looked towards his sister and Emily, who nodded her head in agreement.

“I’m alright with that.  Besides, I had something I wanted to talk to you about anyway Zahra.”  Percy said as he moved to put a hand on her shoulder before gently leading her away.

“Of course lovely, what about?”  It was the last they heard of the pair as they took their conversation out of earshot of the others.

Which left the rest of the group to prepare for the fighting later that night.  While they made their own plans for the attack, overall it remained the same as they had discussed at the castle.  Emily, Vex, and Vax would attack from their flank while the rest went in through the front door once they’d been discovered, or once they had cleared a sufficient amount of the guards before giving the signal for the rest to move in to mop up.  Either way, if all went well, and the Outsider hadn’t spilled the beans about their presence to the bard, who would likely warn the rest of her minions, they could get in and out with very little chance of the giants being able to repel them successfully.

It was only when she heard something about a Heroes Feast that Emily’s interest was piqued.  Looking up away from her sword that she’d been cleaning with an oiled rag, she had a whetstone just beside her on the ground that she planned to use to sharpen her weapon, but her attention was pulled towards Pike and Keyleth who were making similar preparations only a few feet away from her.

“That’s not a bad idea.”  Pike agreed thoughtfully.  “We’d have to do it about an hour before we get ready to head out, but I don’t know if I’d be able to feed everyone, our group’s pretty big.  And Grog eats enough for three people.”  The cleric added almost as an afterthought, just as she playfully reached out and poked at the goliath standing protectively over her.

“Haha, yeah I do.”  Grog agreed happily and rubbed his stomach where she’d poked him.  A thoughtful frown, something Emily had started to get used to seeing on the barbarian’s face from time to time, appeared then and he scratched at his silver haired beard.  “But wait, can you use it to feed this many people?”

“There’s a limit?”  Emily found herself asking.

“A Heroes Feast can only serve twelve people per casting.”  Pike explained as her eyes drifted to the various members of the group, mentally counting up the individuals while the royal assassin nodded, not understanding the rules of this particular magic but she understood enough to get why it might be a problem.  “Grog, Keyleth, Taryon, Trinket, Vex, Vax, Zahra, Kashaw, Percy, Emily, and myself.  That’s eleven people, not counting Doty.”

“And he can’t eat so it wouldn’t be a problem anyway.”  Keyleth replied as she looked up from whatever it was she was working on some distance away.  “Do you want me to cast it Pike?  I don’t mind.”

“It’s okay, I want to do it this time if that’s alright.”  Pike replied kindly, her pretty blue eyes gleaming with that all encompassing warmth Emily had come to love about the cleric.  “I’ll wait until closer to time, but hopefully we aren’t interrupted before we’re able to finish.”

They turned their attention towards Percy as he and Zahra separated with a silent nod passing between them.  “It might be best if we went back to the cave then, just so we aren’t out in the open.  It might take more time to get back here undetected, but I’d rather we’re as prepared as we can be before we hit the fortress.”

“Then we better get going.”  Emily stated firmly as she sheathed her blade, having finished cleaning and sharpening its fine edge by then.

It was on their way back, with the sun just beginning to hit high noon and the morning mists having disappeared that Taryon of all people fell in lockstep with Emily.  “You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you about this for a while now, fair lady Kaldwin, but what’s the story with that scarf you pull up over your beautiful face?”

Pike, walking beside Grog and Keyleth, butted in as Emily’s fingers tugged uncertainly at the very piece of fabric she kept tied around her throat.  “I’m kinda curious now that you bring it up Taryon.  Why  _ do  _ you pull it up over your face?  We know who you are, and we aren’t exactly subtle.”

“But I am.”  Emily replied matter of factly as she let her hand fall from the scarf.  It took her a few moments to find the right words, but find them she did.  “It started as a means to conceal who I was while I was taking apart Delilah’s network of allies.  My face is on half the coins in the Empire of the Isles, so I couldn’t have walked down a street without being hauled off by the City Watch or shot on the spot by some desperate soul hoping to collect the bounty Delilah put on my head.”

Predictably, Grog perked up at that about the same time Vex’s eyebrows shot to her hairline.  “You had a bounty on your head?  Ya think someone’d still pay it?”

“Grog!”  Pike cried out, her armored boot stomping down on his own.

“I was just kiddin’!”  Grog replied, grinning sheepishly down at the little gnome.  Shaking his foot she’d stomped on, the goliath scratched the back of his neck as he said, “Not that anyone’d pay up now anyway, what with her killin’ Delilah and all right?  Even if she hadn’t, doesn’t mean she’d have honored the deal in the first place.”

Emily snorted and rolled her eyes at the goliath even if he was right about Delilah.  She’d have just as likely killed whoever brought Emily in, and that was if Delilah had been feeling merciful.  If he’d said that a week ago though, Emily would have wondered about his intent, but now she felt fairly sure he wasn’t being serious.  Just as quickly though, Taryon pulled her thoughts to the present anew.  “So what changed my lady?”

She sighed and rubbed at the back of her neck this time, the mid afternoon sun making her uncomfortably warm.  But being asked about her scarf and what it represented to her now was not something she wanted to think about.  It didn’t help Pike and Keyleth’s expectant looks were soon joined by the rest of Vox Machina.  Eventually though, Emily gave up her silent facade, stopping long enough to give them all a once over, before moving her hand from her neck to the scarf around her neck once more.  “I might have gone out of my way to leave my enemies alive but ruined beyond any chance of recovery, but even this took a lot out of me.  What started as a simple means of hiding my identity became a means to separate Emily from the assassin.”

“A mask within a mask.”  Zahra intoned gravely, the first to truly comprehend what it was Emily was talking about.

“I don’t get it.”  Keyleth uncomfortably said and looked questionably towards Percy.  When he pulled down the beaked mask he revealed from the confines of his jacket, understanding dawned in the druid’s eyes as she gasped quietly.  “Oh….okay….right.  So wait, you were losing yourself to this whole...facade you’d crafted?”  She asked, and gestured vaguely over Emily’s form in an effort to encompass her in its entirety.

“Essentially yes.”  Emily replied softly and looked down to her branded hand.  The arcane sigil on her skin flared to life briefly before its unnatural glow disappeared.  “You’re more fortunate than you will ever know to have had each other to lean upon, even when you were knee deep in the blood of your enemies.  I was able to succeed despite the immense odds stacked against me, but despite what I’ve said before, about the Outsider’s offer of power and the price I inevitably paid, it was nearly losing myself to that….person, who would have eventually found it no trouble to kill anything that got in her way, who would have gone to almost any lengths to succeed, that still scares me.  As much as I might want to go home and try to help my people rebuild, I think I’ve come to realize I needed to be here, with all of you.  Because….if not for this time to just be another face in the crowd, I don’t think I’d have made a very good Empress in the long run.”

“And that’s where I have to disagree.”  Pike replied, which took Emily aback with her earnest response that was soon matched by the equally earnest words and nods the rest of the group gave her.  “You’re wise enough to admit your faults.  And while I might not understand everything you’ve gone through, I do understand enough.  Especially about wearing masks to hide behind, both to protect who you are, but also to keep certain parts of your life separate from the rest.”  It was then that Pike’s left hand for some reason, began to rub over her chestplate, right above the fire red gem socketed just above her heart.

The Outsider’s voice thundered through Emily’s mind once more as he told her about the time the little cleric had been torn in half by some demonic entity.  Once more she was just able to stop herself from letting the memory’s effect from appearing on her face, but it was a near thing.  The task became easier though when she saw the uncomfortable look Vex wore on her own face as her hand grasped the necklace, which contained Trinket once more, that hung just between her leather covered breasts.  Something about her little monologue had jarred the ranger even as it had earned her a greater measure of understanding from the rest of the group.

As such, Emily wasn’t all that surprised that after a magnificent, magical feast summoned by Pike some hours later, that Vex volunteered to take first watch with the royal assassin at the mouth of the cave.  Despite being fit to bursting with the Heroes Feast, which had earned its name in the Empress’s mind as she put her back to the mouth of the cave wall, Vex was across from her, her gaze distant and strangely sad for her.

It was still early evening, the sun having only begun to fall beyond the horizon which painted the lightly clouded sky in gold and orange light, but most of the group were taking a nap or were still doing minor chores in the back of the cave, leaving Emily and Vex to keep watch.  Just when she thought Vex would remain quiet throughout the entirety of their watch, the ranger slowly pulled her bow off of her back and laid it across her back, her leather gloved fingers running across the beautiful elven script she could just make out from her spot on the hard stone ground.

“It’s funny.  All this talk of family and losing yourself and everything else these last few days has made me remember the shit I had to go through to get this bow.”  Vex began, her voice soft and slightly uneven.  Like her scarf, Emily got the impression Vex’s bow held a great deal of emotional attachment to her, both good, and bad.  The ranger soon confirmed her suspicions.  “I think you know by now I’m not….I’m not as put together as I appear.”

“None of you are really.”  Vex snorted but nodded her head to Emily’s softly spoken comment.  “But then again, neither am I.”

“No, and I get that.  But for me and Vax, it’s….different.”  Slowly looking up from the bow, Vex sighed heavily as she looked towards the mouth of the cave.  “You had parents that loved you, and while yes you were stuck in a gilded cage for most of your life, you were still treated well by everyone around you.  My brother and I on the other hand, our first ten years of life was alright while we lived with our mother.  She loved us with everything she had.  We were dirt poor, but even then we were clever and smart enough to quickly learn how to take care of ourselves well enough, and her.  She did what she could to make us happy, and I’ll always love her for that.”

“But….?”  Emily prodded gently.

“But….our father wanted us back when we hit our tenth birthday.  It didn’t take us long to learn the meaning of prejudice, and all because our ears weren’t pointy enough or because we weren’t truly noble as he and his new wife at the time were.  Syldor’s an asshole politician, and if you ever get a chance to meet him, don’t let him convince you otherwise.”  Emily didn’t doubt it, not with just how vehement Vex’s remark had sounded to her ears.  “He didn’t do a damn thing for me or my brother the entire time we lived with him save to give us distantly cold looks of indifference.  So I….got it into my head when we eventually left to carve our own path that I needed to appear like I came from nobility, that I had money and knew how to spend it, to be treated with the respect I wanted and deserved.”   
  
“That explains a lot.”  Once more Vex chuckled weakly and nodded again.  She grew unusually still however when Emily crossed the short distance between them so that she was sitting beside the ranger.  “But you’ve grown since then.”  She stated rather than asked.

“Y-yeah, yeah I have.”  Vex agreed as she wiped at one eye as subtly as she could.  “It wasn’t easy, but I’ve started to realize I never needed titles or wealth or fame or any of that.  They certainly help, I won’t deny that, especially since I’ve gone hungry more than I’d ever like to think about, but after spending so much time with Percy and his sister, let alone all the people we’ve met along the way….  Wealth and titles really just complicates things, and here you come, saying most the same things I’ve already begun to figure out long ago now.”

“To be fair Vex, I’m not just nobility.”  Emily stated, and Vex offered a watery, amused smirk as she wiped at her eyes again.  The little smile she gave in return was followed quickly by the hand Emily put on Vex’s shoulder.  “But if you want my honest opinion Vex’ahlia, you’re far richer than I have ever been.”

“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know, but it’s still nice to hear it.”  Turning her eyes to the bow spread out across her lap, Vex ran her fingers delicately over the elvish writing along its side.  “I carved this in myself, shortly after I started to put myself back together.  It means Forgiveness.  Saundor, the archfey that once held this powerfully enchanted bow, which is named Fenthras by the way, had been betrayed by the woman he loved.  He became so corrupted by his hatred and loss and sorrow that he became a part of the tree I think he died in, at some point, as a mortal person, only to be reborn as the monster we found inside this gigantic, screwed up tree that he’d similarly corrupted.  His very presence warped and distorted the ground around this great tree, turning it into a disgusting bog, but more importantly, his new form allowed him to see far and wide in every direction…..and into our hearts, mine included.  He...knew things about me, things even my brother didn’t know, and still doesn’t truly understand.”

Emily didn’t ask what that might have been, only that it had affected Vex’ahlia deeply.  So deeply in fact, that she didn’t dare move lest she shatter whatever spell had fallen over the ranger as she divulged even this much to her.  “Suffice it to say, I nearly gave Saundor what he wanted, but my heart, thank the bloody fucking gods, was already owned by another.  He wanted me, in exchange he promised to help the rest of my friends, but I shot him in his face first, making it clear I wanted no part of his ‘offer’.  But I was still shaken up by it for….a long while, and every now and again I still have sleepless nights over it.  Because try as I might to deny it, he was right….about part of what he said about me.  But the inscription here, reminds me that I have so much more than he ever had.  And honestly, while he said he was betrayed, but I have to wonder if he didn’t deserve it since, to quote Grog, he was a fuckin’ arsehole.”

“He sounds like it.” Emily admitted with a quick chuckle before the mirth faded from her face and voice. “But I’d be lying if I claimed not to understand him somewhat… when you get betrayed… your world changes. Things appear so much differently than before, unshakable truths become little more than a new attack angle for your foes, allies appear as enemies and enemies as possible allies.  It is so incredibly easy to lose yourself to this feeling of powerlessness.  And from that feeling… arises nothing but anger and hate, at yourself, at the world around until you feel nothing but anguish.”

“Perhaps, but you chose to rise above it.”

“Did I?” The empress asked rhetorically and shook her head. “Sometimes I am not so certain. Sometimes certain events… bring it all back and it is all I can do not to lash out at everything around me.”

“The fact that you even bother to restrain yourself should show you that you are better than he was.” Vex shot back without missing a beat. “I don't care if you’re an empress or not, whether you made a deal with a fucking god or not.  I just know that you’re a young woman who was buried under crushing responsibilities and expectations, and you acted no different than anyone else would in your situation… and if you want my opinion, that just makes you more human and beautiful.”

“You really think so?”  Emily asked quickly and quietly, an uncharacteristic frailness in her voice.

“I know so… and if your father were here, he would tell you the same.” The half elf assured her and put a hand on the young ruler’s shoulder.  “I didn’t have a father myself, at least not one who deserved to be called such, but I can tell that you had a good one.  I’ve seen enough to tell that much.”

In response Emily whirled around and pulled Vex into a sudden embrace, pushing her face into her shoulder as the young woman slowly began to sob. Vex merely held onto her and let her cry. Right now she wasn't a deadly assassin, or the empress of a country in another world.  Right now she was a young woman, far from home who missed her father and everything she was familiar with while being haunted by her choices.

And no matter how strong someone appeared to be, everyone had a breaking point, something Vex knew better than most. Emily would later undoubtedly regret allowing her to see this perceived weakness, at least that's what Vex assumed since it would be exactly what she would do if their roles were reversed.  At least, a part of her would have considered such a thought, but that side of her had grown much smaller in recent weeks.  As it stood, Vex considered Emily to be just another part of their broken little family, now and forever.

Emily too felt the same as she slowly pulled herself together some time later.  For the longest time neither said anything as she took the time to wipe her eyes, erasing the evidence of her tears in the process.  Vex let her, not about to say anything since she’d been near tears herself during her confession.  But a simple glance at the other told them that they were feeling better now, and Emily smiled softly, gratefully, glad that it had helped despite how much it had hurt to talk about it all.  Clearing her throat as best she could, Emily looked towards the bow, and the rest of the inscriptions decorating its beautifully curved edges.  “Since we’re talking about Fenthras, what do the rest of these mean?”  She asked once she was sure her voice wouldn’t crack and quiver.

“Well, this one’s Protector.”  Vex said cheerfully, no doubt glad for the change in subject, and said the word both in English, and again in elven as she ran her hand along one of the ancient elven words that were on one end of the bow before moving her hand across the gilded, vine covered weapon.  “The other is Growth.  For some reason, it’s able to make a tree sprout out of a slain creature’s chest, so that one actually makes sense.  Kind of a neat trick honestly, but then again, I am the most at home in the woods.”

“I don’t remember that happening after the last time we fought, but there was a lot going on.”  Emily said and shrugged her shoulders, unbothered by this latest revelation.  “But with everything I’ve seen in the past week alone, nothing would surprise me at this point.”

“You say that now, but you might change your tune when shit gets hairy here soon.”  Vex countered, grinning slightly before she gasped and threw a hand into the air.  “Fuck!  I completely forgot, you wanted to learn how to speak elven.”

“It can wait.”  Emily started to say, remembering now their….conversation after Vex’s rather interesting apology only a few days ago.

But Vex wouldn’t hear of it.  “No no no, I promised to teach you and gods damn it that’s what I’m going to do.  Besides dear, if your tongue is half as talented with words as it was with-”

“Finish that thought.”  Emily stated darkly, daring Vex to finish that sentence.

“And?”  Vex dared her with a challenging smirk. “You’ll ravage me again? Does your father know what you’ve been up to?”

At this Emily actually paled.  “Oh… damn it.  I hope for your sake that he never learns of this.”  While she was fully aware Corvo didn’t care what she did when it was appropriate for such diversions, that didn’t stop Emily from wondering what he’d think if he ever heard about half of what she’d done since waking up in Veshrah.

“He’s the protective type?”  Vex asked hesitantly a moment later.

“He’s my father  _ and _ the royal protector… take a guess.” Emily remarked dryly.

All the while that they continued to talk and tease each other, Zahra watched on, smiling softly to herself from the other end of the cave that opened up into the chamber the rest of Vox Machina resided.  Kashaw was at her side, and he grunted softly, but he too was smiling in his way.  “You’re not going to tell them are you?”  He asked, nodding his head towards the little earring in her open hand before jerking his head towards Vex, where a similar earring resided within one of her sharply pointed ears.  An earring that had, at some point, been accidentally activated during their otherwise private conversation.  Which meant everyone with a similar earring had heard every word due to the simple fact there was no way to isolate specific people to ensure a measure of privacy.

A fact the tiefling was fully aware of, but she merely smiled a little wider at the cleric in response.  “No I’m not Kash.  Let them think no one’s heard a word shared between them.”  Zahra replied just as softly before making the Whisper Earring disappear into her long sleeved robes.  She’d give it to Emily later, when the time was right.  But she now understood far better why Percy had wanted her to enchant a new one for him.  It hadn’t been for his own use, that much was now clear as Zahra turned away from the pair.

It was meant for the newest member of Vox Machina.  One who had done more in seven days than Taryon Darington had done in the entire time he’d been with the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After watching their trek through the Feywild, I was painfully reminded of Vex's encounter with Saundor and the sick twisted bastard's attempt to get her to accept his 'offer'. I absolutely loathed that guy, and I still feel no pity or sympathy for something so obviously screwed up even after all this time. So having Vex talk about it with Emily seemed appropriate with everything that had happened in the last several days. It also seemed appropriate to have Zahra finish enchanting a new Earring of Whispers lol. So once again, most of Vox Machina knows about their new friend's pain in detail, and they have yet another reason to trust her just as they're getting ready to go up against a god and his little pet. What could possibly go wrong? :P
> 
> Jokes aside, I'm hoping you guys and gals are still enjoying this tale. Take care of yourselves and good luck to you all.


	15. And I See Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first of at least three chapters involving the fighting at the stone giants' fortress. It'll get somewhat messy, but not truly graphic or explicit. Still, you were warned. ;D I did the best I could to give everyone a few moments in the spotlight, but I don't think I did as good as I could have. That said, I think I did pretty good, but feel free to tell me otherwise. Take care!
> 
> Also there may or may not be an Attack on Titan reference somewhere in the middle of the chapter. Have fun spotting it lol.

**Chapter 14**

**And I See Fire**

They waited until the moon had risen fully into the night sky, blanketing the land in darkness and thick, encompassing shadows.  Despite knowing she was hardly the only one who could see in the dark, it made Emily feel better when she was woke up some time later by Pike, that they had stayed in the cave until what she guessed was around midnight.  The night was the perfect time for people like her, Vex, and Vax, but the smell of a fresh cup of coffee distracted her as Pike handed her a goblet of the pleasant smelling liquid.  “Thank you Pike.”  Emily softly said as she took a sip once she was sitting upright in her bedroll, nodding her approval of the taste before she frowned slightly.  “I thought we’d have left a little earlier?”

“So did I, but it was decided we’d wait for a few hours, give the giants time to settle down.”  Something in the cleric’s tone of voice made Emily wonder if there was something else she wasn’t telling her, but before she could question her, Pike held up a bowl of rabbit stew.  “Eat up, we’ll be heading out as soon as everyone’s ready.”

“Alright.”  Yawning as she accepted the earthen bowl of stew, Emily shook her vigorously shook her head before digging in.  Between the coffee and the late night snack, it didn’t take the royal assassin long to regain her mental faculties.  “Who made the coffee anyway?  It was better than I’d have expected this far from Whitestone.”

“That was me lady.”  Kashaw called out as he, for some reason, jammed his elbow into Zahra’s side.  The tiefling gave him an amused roll of her eyes but merely crossed her arms, something dangling from between her thumb and forefinger.  “You’re welcome by the way.  Now if you’re done stuffing your face, can we get a move on?  If we’re gonna all end up brutally killed, I’d rather get it over with.”

“You’re a really cheerful fellow, has anyone told you that Brother Vesh?”  Taryon asked as he rubbed gingerly at his right ear.  Before she could see what it was he was picking at, Taryon turned his head away from her, addressing another of the group as he did.  “This new piercing is a little more tender than you said it’d be by the way.  Doty, write this do-ah!”  Grog had chosen that moment to shove the armored buffoon aside, which made Taryon give out a short, fearful yelp as he stumbled and nearly fell over before regaining his balance.

“Shit, I didn’t whine like a baby when I got mine.  Speakin’ of, you’re next.”  Grog called out as Keyleth almost seemed to materialize on her left.  Emily jerked her head towards the druid, just before Grog’s heavy hand fell on her right shoulder.

“Wait, what’s going on?”  Emily started to ask, but between being ambushed by Grog and now Keyleth, she didn’t see a means to easily escape.

“Grog, don’t scare her….more than you have already.”  Keyleth reprimanded him before her hand fell on Emily’s upper arm.  It helped a little, but she still gave the pair uneasy glances.  “I-I mean  _ we  _ decided that it was time for you and Taryon to have earrings made, so you can keep in touch with us even when we’re in the thick of things.”  It was only then that Emily saw the rolled up leather between Keyleth’s knees on the ground, which the druid quickly unrolled in front of her, revealing a series of small needles, arranged from largest to smallest.  The biggest of them looked downright intimidating to Emily, until she looked up and realized it was likely the one used for Grog’s piercing.

Glancing at Emily’s ear before flicking her gaze down to the row of needles in front of her, Keyleth was just reaching out to select one of the much smaller ones before a red skinned hand gently grasped her wrist.  “Allow me.”  Zahra commanded gently.  “I did do the enchanting after all, dear Kiki.”  For some reason, Emily relaxed when the tiefling took charge once Keyleth relinquished her spot to the warlock with a nod and a smile.

“What?  How come Zahra?”  Grog asked, scratching at his beard with his free hand while his other remained on Emily’s shoulder.

Zahra, who had since folded her legs underneath her rump, merely smiled as she summoned a small flame between her fingers before sticking one end of her selected needle into the fire.  “Call it a personal preference Grog.  It’ll make me feel better to know it was my hand that does this, and not just because I was the one that enchanted the earring.”  While it was obvious that the barbarian was still confused, Emily could reasonably infer what it was Zahra was trying to say as she brought her tail to the front, holding the small, orb like earring by its simple chain and its attached hook.  The jewel Emily noted, could be changed out for something else, which earned a raised eyebrow from the Empress, but an appreciative one.  “I figured you’d notice, and you’re welcome in advance.  It was rather unexpected when Percy asked for my help with this earlier this morning, so I made do with what I had on hand.”

“You won’t hear me complain about your efforts Zahra.”  Emily assured her as she sat upright, mentally preparing herself for the pain that would follow the piercing itself.  The tiefling smiled out of the corner of her eye and gently squeezed her free shoulder before taking her earlobe between her warm thumb and forefinger.

“Alright dear, on three.”  Zahra didn’t count down as Emily expected, she simply pierced her lobe with the heated piece of metal.  She grunted softly and scrunched her eyes shut, but otherwise Emily remained unmoving as Zahra brought up a clean cloth rag to dab away the small amount of blood from the new hole once the jeweled earring was in place.  “There we are.  If you want to activate the enchantment, just touch the jewel and speak aloud.  Everyone who has one of their own will hear, so long as you’re within range.”

“How long is the range?”  Emily asked as she took the offered rag, and held it up to her ear.

“Five hundred feet.”  Vax called out from the mouth of the cave without looking away from the entrance.  “Word of advice since we’re on the subject Ems?  If you plan to bang Percy and my sister, take the earring off first eh?”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” Emily assured him with a small, amused eye roll as Zahra helped her up to her feet once she had put away her equipment.  “Now that we’re sure that we can hear each other’s dying screams, shall we get going?”

“Certainly.” Percy agreed theatrically and looked up at the moon with a sigh. “It would be a shame to waste this fine night and not die after all.”

“Your confidence is staggering.”  Emily retorted, but despite their shared, morbid humor, the group she saw was willing to fight to their very last breath.  If she ever made it home again, she silently vowed as they started for the fortress, Emily would happily install all of them in her court as honorary guards and more.  The only thing that stopped her from saying so out loud was the knowledge the Abbey of the Everyman would send every Overseer they had left to Dunwall Tower to oust her and her inhuman allies when word got out, and it would.  But that was neither here nor there, and there was no certainty she’d make it home anyway.  And in the case that she did, she had some doubts that they would actually accept such positions, at least permanent ones.  They were adventurers, their way of life was to travel across the whole world, not to stay in one place and protect a young monarch.

“One problem at a time.”  Emily muttered softly to herself as she, Vex, and Vax started away from the bulk of the group.  “Be careful.”  She called over her shoulder as Percy briskly walked to their side, his right side flanked by Zahra.

“Bah, you worry too much.”  Grog rumbled first, but despite his enthusiastic retort, he nodded grimly as they parted ways.

“Hey Kiki,” Vax called over his shoulder as he pulled his dark hood up over his head, “make a mess down there.  Spare none of them.”

“I will.  Just don’t do anything too crazy?”  She asked softly, to which Vax flashed her a hesitant, lopsided smirk before they disappeared up the rocky pathway.  Emily spared one last glance to the valley floor as they quickly walked up the other side of the valley and up the right side of the path, higher and higher as they pushed forward as quickly as they could.

“So, a moonlit walk in the mountains.  This would almost be romantic if we weren’t planning to slaughter everything in that valley.”  Zahra mused aloud, if softly as her white eyes flicked right to left and back again, mindful of her surroundings and the possibility they weren’t alone out here.

“I also enjoy moonlit walks.” Emily admitted as her cheeks bloomed with slight blush. “Although, in my case, it was more like sneaking out at night to run across the rooftops of my home.”

“Meh, you take what you can get, am I right?” The tiefling asked the others who looked at each other in slight confusion, wondering why the were discussing moonlit walks in the first place.  “What?  No snappy remarks from either of you?  We really are going to die horribly, aren’t we?”

“No one’s dying, so stop saying that already, gods.”  Vex grumbled as she pulled out her enchanted broom.  “But I’d rather not have the entire valley know what we’re up to before we get in position.”  And just as quickly, they looked to where Vax was standing a moment ago, only to see he’d disappeared.  “And there he goes.”  Vex grumbled a little more loudly as she tapped at her earring.  “Brother, don’t be a show off.”

Just as quickly, Emily had also disappeared, leaving only a soft chuckle in Vex’s ear that didn’t come through the earring alone.  “He isn’t the only one anymore.”  Emily stated on her way by, having since zipped away with Far Reach before disappearing into the rocks and ledges overlooking the valley floor.

“Great, there are two of them now.” Percy grumbled next.

“Can you hear me?”  Emily’s voice rang in their ears seconds later, earning a number of softly muttered curses from those that also had earrings.

Percy winced as well but shook off his slight irritation as he shared a concerned look with Zahra.  “Yes.  Why, what do you see?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to check if this thing works.”  Emily replied, the shrug of her shoulders all but audible as she rejoined Vax at about that moment, having found him ducking behind a tree much further up the path.

“Was it necessary to give us a heart attack at the same time?” Keyleth hissed in return.

“Would you prefer it if I were in trouble only to realise that it's  _ not  _ working?” Emily asked in return, and unsurprisingly Keyleth could do little else but accept the truth in her words.  “I might trust Zahra’s skill, but this is still very new to me.”

Percy repeated what Emily had said to the tiefling in question, who nodded and smiled despite the doubt still present in the royal assassin’s voice.  “It’s quite alright dear.  But as the others have said, be careful.  I’d rather not have to find another monarch that’s half as lovely as you’ve been.”

“Can you guys  _ not  _ flirt over an open line?”  Vex grumbled playfully if tersely as she flew high above the ground, her bow drawn and her eyes affixed to the valley floor, searching for any good places to land behind their lines.  While the fortress had quieted down considerably, she was surprised to see that there was still a fair amount of activity from what her sharp elven eyes could see from this height.  “I think they know they’re still in danger, there’s still a lot of movement down there.”

Emily and Vax could see the same thing from their new vantage point as they peered carefully over the edge.  “We noticed sister.  The stairs on the back side of the tower might be a good place to head towards.  It’ll keep you from being pegged by giant rocks while giving you a good vantage point to pick off smaller targets.”

“What about the bard?”  Vex asked as she began to fly away from the rocky ledges overlooking the tower.

“She’s got a point.  Blink will give her reach a normal opponent wouldn’t possess.  Vex, stay away from the tower as much as possible, the bard can likely jump out of a window or off a ledge regardless of its height and use Blink to land safely on the ground.  She could just as easily jump at you, even if she knows full well she won’t land safely without magical assistance.”

“Good to know.  And with how easily she got around us the last time, I’m in no hurry to test my luck.”  Just as quickly, Vex’s next remark was all but growled at Vax through their earrings.  “Hear that brother?  Stay  _ away  _ from the tower or I might end up a shish kebab.”

“Yes I heard Stubby.”  Vax retorted, but despite his annoyance, he nodded appreciatively towards Emily just as she pulled her scarf up over the bottom half of her face.  She returned the gesture as she pulled her father’s blade just as he did the same with his favored daggers.  “You want me to carry you over to the tower?”  He asked, just as two giant, black raven wings erupted from his back.

“I’ll find my own way.”  Emily assured him as she stepped backwards off the ledge before using Far Reach to hit the ground in a crouch.  She looked up just in time to see Vax grin down at her before he too flew off into the night sky, making for the tower directly while she took the long way across the valley floor towards the other end of the fortress grounds.  Sticking to the few shadows provided by the same rock piles left by the fire giants, Emily carefully made her way towards the closest guard house she could find just as a commotion drew many of the guards towards the source of the disturbance.  Daring a quick glance towards the same ruckus, Emily raised an eyebrow at what she saw.

A growing, enlarging Grog Strongjaw, having just slammed his gauntleted hands together, was certainly a good reason to be nervous.  It helped that he was gleefully roaring at the top of his lungs, his great axe, that had also grown with the rest of him, locked firmly in his hands.  The sight of one Pike Trickfoot riding on his right shoulder as she raised her left hand, a bolt of holy light slamming into the first enemy that Grog was about to slam his axe into, seemed oddly fitting as the lizard burst into flames before he was summarily cleaved in two with Grog hardly slowing his stride.  “HAHAHAHA!  Let’s get this shit done Monstah!”

“Yeah!  Let’s do it buddy!”  Pike cackled with equal, gleeful abandon as she pulled her great maul from her back before raising her shield to deflect an arrow harmlessly off of the metal.  “Grog, throw me!”  She called out, and Emily was sure her head was about to split in two with the wide grin that spread across the gnome’s little face.  Grog was all too happy to oblige as the goliath did as the cleric commanded, and Pike sailed through the air, her maul catching another lizard across the neck on her way past.  He hit the ground, his neck caving in as if a giant tree had hit him rather than a small flying gnome with an oversized metal bat.

Emily couldn’t help but smile at the pair as she glanced further down the path, where an equally large golem of rock, her hands spouting flames, charged into the fray.  She too was accompanied by their second cleric, but unlike Pike, Kashaw looked like he was about to be sick as he held onto the back of Keyleth’s neck like his life depended on it.  “I hate this plan!”  He yelled out at the top of his lungs.  “I didn’t agree to riding shotgun on a golem!”  Keyleth growled, her voice sounding like two boulders falling downhill, which earned a confused glare from the man.  “I don’t speak rockhead Kiki!  Just don’t get us killed!”

The thunderous boom of Percy’s rifle rent the air just as the first of the fire giants finally got their shit together.  He was forced back a step, away from the rock pile he’d been about to start hurling from, clutching at his now bleeding shoulder.  It was just enough of a distraction for Keyleth and Kashaw to get in close enough to pummel him into the ground, with the human cleric able to jump down with his spear so that it pierced the giant’s right eye down to its metal shaft.  Needless to say, the giant didn’t get back up as Kashaw yanked his spear free, but not before gesturing for Keyleth to step down on his head on her way by.  The sickening crunch of bone as his head caved inward from her large, stony foot ensured he wasn’t getting back up again.

Emily was far from idle as she darted out from her hiding spot just as a second fire giant and a wyvern, bearing two lizards on its back, took up firing positions.  She didn’t give the riders time to bring their small crossbows to bear on Grog and Pike, nor the giant as he began to pick up one of the boulders.  Throwing her right hand out, a tendril of Void slammed into the giant’s face.  While he was too big for her to yank him off of his feet, she didn’t want to pull him anywhere.  She wanted to go to him.

Glancing up just as her feet left the ground, Emily let a razor blade grin spread across her lips as a winged form started down for the back of the giant’s neck.  Attempting to grab the tendril now blinding him partially, he never got the chance as Whisper found a new home just between his shoulder blades, and Vax appeared a moment later as he reared back in agony.  Two more daggers found the mark in both sides of the giant’s neck as Emily sailed past, using the monster’s backward toss of his head to swing around him rather than directly for his face.  The giant hadn’t died yet, but her target had never been the giant.

The wyvern and its riders were.  Leaving Vax to finish the giant off, she dispelled her Far Reach mid leap, pulled her pistol, and leveled the barrel at the first rider that was still about ten feet away.  The round that found his chest held an unusual blue glow around the back of the bullet, the nature of which revealed itself when the lizardman….exploded.  The burst of flame, bloody bits of gore and bone, and pieces of simple metal armor shredded both the wyvern’s back and the second rider almost to death.  Long before the rider recovered, Emily was burying her sword into the enemy’s chest as she tackled him right out of the saddle and off of the wyvern’s back.  Rolling to her feet, she was just able to duck beneath the wyvern’s poisonous stinger as three electrical arrows rained down from the shadow of the tower.  Needless to say, the wyvern breathed its last in short order.

“What in the gods name was that?”  Vex asked through the earring as she flew overhead, just above and behind Emily as she continued her way forward.  “It was rather impressive dear.”

“Explosive round.  I have nine more.”  Emily replied, and checked her belt on the run to make sure she actually had all nine shots.  Satisfied she hadn’t lost any from her acrobatic display, she dived as a large boulder nearly took her head off on its way by.  “Someone take that giant down!”  She shouted as the rock smashed into the ground, shattering and raining down shards of rock in every direction.

“Yes your Imperial Majesty!”  Taryon declared cheerfully as he and Doty marched forward, with the young man just behind his clockwork soldier.  “You heard the Empress, Doty.  Do your thing old friend!”  Doty wordlessly obeyed, one large fist slamming into the giant’s armored stomach, forcing the breath out of him while Taryon pulled his hand back to throw what looked like a glass vial of green liquid.  “Here’s a free drink on me!”  The ‘drink’ turned out to be acid.  The fire giant found this out to its great misfortune as the green liquid rapidly ate through his metallic armor, making short work of the thick red hide underneath.  It was just enough of a shock that allowed Doty to shatter the giant’s left kneecap, forcing it to the ground where Taryon pulled out a rod of some sort.  “Sword!”  He declared, and the rod in his grasp flashed, changing into a long blade which promptly began to emanate bolts of electricity.

Just as quickly, Taryon drove the sword through the front of the giant’s face, just above its nose.  So focused on the first as he struggled to pull his sword free, Taryon nearly missed the second as it stomped up towards him and Doty.  He had all of two seconds to realize his mistake as he held his sword up in triumphant, to see the hammer heading right for his armored chest.

Emily had just started towards the idiot only to stop and smirk, briefly, as Grog and Pike, now back on his shoulder, charged the giant down.  “We got this!  Get to the tower!”  Pike called out over the increasing din of their now desperate fight.

The entire fortress was on red alert.  Stealth was officially off the table, and weirdly enough, Emily was okay with that.  Even as wyverns filled the air like a swarm of giant crows, giants stomped across the valley floor, and lizards began to form ranks as they poured out of the tower, there was something liberating about this kind of fighting.  Large tower shields formed the front rank, the lizards wielding long pikes and spears in their offhand that formed a bristling wall of razor sharp points.  But this worked to their advantage as far as the royal assassin was concerned, because they were so densely packed, that Emily felt no compulsion to restrain herself anymore.  “Cover your ears if you’re near the tower!”  It was the only warning she gave as she pulled one of the metallic orbs off of her belt, armed the device, and threw with all she had towards the newly formed shield wall.  She had to give them credit, the nearest lizards were just smart enough to look at the metal orb before their feral grins turned into worried frowns.  A split second later, there was another thunderous boom that scattered the shield wall, and the monsters behind them.

“Sweet merciful Pelor!”  Percy cursed through the earring right before his rifle roared once more, shattering another giant’s skull like so much rotted cordwood.  “Yep, I’m  _ really  _ starting to get an appreciation of your world’s technological advancement, Emily.  It’s quite frightful honestly.”  This was punctuated by another blast from Bad News, which ended another giant’s life just as Doty and Taryon had brought it down to their level.

“Pay attention lovely!”  Zahra yelled just as her moonstone dragon staff started to glow brightly.  Like a beacon in the night, the tiefling warlock lit up the sky just as another wyvern was caught in a barrage of Witch Bolts, amplified and empowered further to something much more dangerous.  The hissing, pale white balls of magical energy slammed into the beast’s flank, before a line of writhing electrical like tendrils between her staff and the wyvern formed, further shredding away at its scaly sides.

But despite the powerful magic slamming into it, the beast managed to land and gnash its razor sharp teeth at Zahra.  Percy could only watch as the tiefling stumbled back, blood running down her face and chest as it brought its claws to bear next.  She was just able to stumble back, batting away its second foot while getting out of reach of the first as the wyvern attempted to rake its claws down her front.  “This night is ours!”  The flash that followed left little doubt to the wyvern’s continued existence as Hellish flames poured off of Zahra’s left hand.  The large, ten inch hole she burned through its chest and out its side was quickly followed by the wyvern tumbling off the side of the cliff.

“Now’s not the time Percy.”  Vex droned just as Emily started to move in towards what was left of the scattered lizards before them as the light show above died down at last.  “Stand back, I got this.”  Emily had only enough time to jump back before the already darkened sky became darker still as shards of sharpened metal literally began to rain down into the recovering lizards’ prone forms.  The conjured barrage, it was the only thing Emily could think to call it, shredded most of the remaining lizards where they lay.  She nodded approvingly of Vex’s handiwork as the all too clearly smug ranger flew down to Emily’s side.  “You aren’t the only one with your tricks, Empress.”

“I can see that, but this fight isn’t over yet.”  Emily countered as she stalked ahead, leaving Vex and the others to catch up once they’d finished with the last of the giants and their minions.  She wasn’t so consumed with the task at hand that she didn’t wait for them to catch up, occasionally taking shots at the few remaining wyverns that got too close for her liking.  It helped more than a few of them had been mysteriously struck down by bolts of lightning from Keyleth, who had since dropped her earth elemental form.  Despite the immense odds that had been stacked against them, the number of utterly destroyed enemies scattered across the ravine’s floor was a testament to their impressively deadly skill, but of far more important to the Empress, their trust in each other.

“Pike!”  The startled yell from Grog snapped Emily’s attention towards the goliath just in time to see the cleric fall from his shoulder, a giant sized arrow sticking out of her stomach.  The already enraged, oversized goliath took one look at his friend, and slowly turned back, the veins in his head pulsating wildly before he let loose with a deafening roar.  Much to Emily’s shock and surprise, the giant that had dared to fire at Pike looked deathly afraid of the barbarian.  She didn’t give them a second glance as she, Vex, and Kashaw ran to the gnome’s side.

Much to her astonishment, Pike sat up on her own, and despite the enormous amount of pain she must have been in, gave her and the others a weak grin as she put one oversized gauntlet against the new hole in her stomach in an effort to staunch the bleeding.  “Ow….not...doing that….again today.”  She groaned as she gripped the quivering, very large arrow shaft in one hand.  Before Emily could stop her, Pike tried to pull it free herself before wincing painfully when it refused to budge.  “Yeah….definitely in there.”

“Gee you think Pike?”  Kashaw grunted, and much to Emily’s stunned surprise, he looked genuinely concerned for a change as he batted the gnome’s hand away before giving the large arrow a vicious tug, pulling it free from the platinum blonde’s guts.  She hissed through tightly clenched teeth but otherwise didn’t complain as Kashaw reached up towards a holy pendant that now dangled freely around his neck.  Before Emily could ask what he was doing, he opened eyes that had turned pitch black while his free hand began to glow a pale gold, which he gently pressed against Pike’s wound.  “You guys tempt fate every time I do this, yet for you morons, I’ll keep doing it.”

“We know.”  Vex said as she supported Pike’s head against her lap, her bow forgotten at her side.  “Just heal her, please.  Fuck Vesh if she pops up.”  The terrified gleam in Kashaw’s eyes, pitch black as they were now, said she’d regret those words if this Vesh actually appeared, but before she could ask, Emily let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding until she saw Pike’s stomach was no longer bleeding.  There was still considerable bruising around the point of impact, but she’d be alright from what Emily could see.

When Kashaw finished, Vex quickly laid her hands on Pike’s stomach before a similar golden glow began to pour from her spread fingers.  “Is Grog alright?”  Pike asked as the half elf finished up, pulling back to look where they had last seen the frenzied berserker that had stormed right into the fray.  They saw there wasn’t much left of the few enemies that had dared try to weather the storm that was Grog Strongjaw.  Of the goliath himself, he was bloodied, bruised, and panting heavily as he wiped one large arm across his forehead, but he looked quite satisfied with himself.  “Yep, he’s fine.”  Pike chuckled, but Emily saw she was just as relieved as the rest of them.

Grog, as if Pike’s concern was a palpable thing, turned towards them, grinned, and waved towards the four of them.  “I uh...I knew you’d be fine Pike!”  Grog called back uncertainly as he hefted his bloodied axe onto one large shoulder just as a wyvern fell from the sky with a grimly frowning Vax on its back.  “Nice of you to drop in.”

“Thanks.  Pickles alright?”  He asked, before his eyes fell on the aforementioned cleric.  The grim line of his lips turned upward in an instant, and the rogue visibly relaxed just as quickly.  “Good to know.  How’s everyone else?”  He asked after tapping at his earring.

“We’re good up here.  We’re making our way down now.”  Percy stated as he and Zahra started down the path once he was reasonably sure there were no more threats for him to take down from afar.  “I’d say we did rather well all told.”

“The fight isn’t over yet.”  Emily stated flatly as Grog knelt down so Pike could put her hands on either side of his head.  Golden light poured over him, sealing most of his injuries in short order.  The royal assassin doubted she’d ever get used to seeing that, no matter how often it happened in front of her.  But she was able to tear her gaze away from the pair, and glance towards the piles of dead lizards, giants, and their wyvern pets.  She had to agree with Percy’s assessment, even though the sight of so many corpses turned the Empress’s stomach.  It brought….uncomfortable memories up to the surface, but she was able to push them aside.  She couldn’t throw up anyway with her scarf in the way, not without drowning in her own vomit first.  Shaking her head, Emily groaned uncomfortably as she quickly looked towards the tower itself.  “L-let’s hope the bard hasn’t decided to leave, making this entire affair a wasted effort.”

“It won’t be entirely wasted.”  Zahra grimaced as she used her free hand to press against a large gash left behind the wyvern that had almost savaged her.  Kashaw took one look at her, ran to her side, and healed her as best he could without a word of complaint.  Zahra slowly pulled her hand away from her side, and nodded her approval despite still looking a little beat up.  “Thank you again Kash.”  She replied warmly and squeezed the cleric’s upper arm on her way past, before stopping before the front doors of the tower.  Despite their sheer, immense size, she didn’t seem intimidated at all.  “If they think this will stop us now, they’ve got another thing coming.  Grog?”

“Yes big Z?”  Grog asked, grinning towards the feral grin that had appeared on the woman’s face.

“Be a dear and open the door for us?”

“Hehehehehe.  It’ll be my pleasure!”  The doors were twenty five feet tall of reinforced metal from what Emily could see, with what she could only assume a large, pull down bar of equally strong metal locking them in place.  Yet Grog, currently twelve feet tall and still spoiling for a fight despite the sweat still pouring off of him, just grinned all the wider.  Tossing his axe down so its immense blade sunk into the ground, the goliath’s gauntlets began to glow with golden light.  The thunderous boom that echoed through the ravine as he brought his fists down on the right hand door was nearly deafening, yet Emily could only gape as Grog made short work of the reinforced door.  A door that should have taken a hell of a lot more of a beating from an entire team of siege experts and engineers, was instead turned into whale blubber by the barbarian’s impossibly strong punches.

Another deafening roar escaped him after only the fifth strike, and the metal bar locking the tower’s entrance was bent and broken, while the right hand door was knocked right off its hinges.  Clattering loudly to the ground, Emily’s mouth remained slack until Zahra playfully tapped the bottom of her chin.  “You should have seen what I did to Rimefang if you thought that was impressive.”  She all but purred on her way past.

The group gasped as one when a gigantic hand of purplish energy appeared in front of the tiefling, its arcane fingers clenched into a tight fist that slammed into Zahra’s body.  A surprised grunt was all she was able to loose as she was blasted off of her feet, with the bard standing on the other side of the massive chamber, a smug, very satisfied grin evident on her pretty face.  “Welcome to my summer home.  I see you brought friends, Empress Kaldwin.  Despite the mess you've made outside, I still have friends of my own.”  And just like that, the bard Blinked away just as three daggers flew across the chamber, the enchanted blades quivering in the stonework where she’d just been standing.

“Zahra!”  Kashaw yelled, too stunned by how quickly she’d been struck down as the purple hand appeared by the large stone stairway that led higher up the tower.  The warlock was sprawled out on the ground in front of the battered doorway, but a soft groan reassured everyone she was at least alive.  Kashaw didn’t wait and promptly slid to a halt at her side.  “Go!  I’ll take care of her!”

“Oh don’t worry, we aren’t going far.”  Something in Percy’s voice sent Emily’s senses into the red zone as she tore her gaze away from the two back to the tower itself.  It was then she saw the open hole in the center of the room.  It was then she saw the first of several eyestalks begin to writhe and undulate in every direction as a wrinkled orb of light gray flesh, and one large, center eye lit with malicious glee, slowly levitated its way out of the trap door beneath the chamber floor.  Gnashing a mouth full of razor sharp, jagged teeth, Emily felt the bottom of her stomach drop, and she had no idea what it was she was staring at.

The rest of her new friends however, were all too aware of the danger they were in.  “Oh fucking Hells!  She’s got a beholder?!”  Vex cursed as she took off on her broom before the beholder’s central eye could get a bead on her.

“Everyone scatter inside the room, now!”  Percy commanded, and hefted one of his pistols up to eye level.

“What’s a beholder?!”  Emily shouted back as she pressed herself against the remaining door next to the gunslinger.

“You’ll find out soon enough Ems!”  Was all Vax would say on the matter as he followed after his sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doors and beholders, two of Vox Machina's greatest enemies lol. One heck of a way to end a chapter I'd say, especially since the bard has many of Scanlan's best attacks as you saw here. Bigby's Hand has always been my favorite spell thanks to how inventive Sam got with it numerous times. (Fisting an ancient black dragon....yeah, he did that lol). But at any rate, see you guys soon with another chapter. Take care!


	16. Eye For An Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Place your bets! Place your bets! Vox Machina vs the Marked and her beholder pet! Lol but seriously, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you soon.

**Chapter 15**

**Eye For An Eye**

Having never fought a beholder before, Emily had no idea what it was they were up against.  She learned very quickly however, when the first of the beast’s eye rays began to rain down upon them as Vox Machina tried to storm the center of the tower’s central chamber.  While they were able to do so, they didn’t get inside the room unscathed as they were pelted by different color ray attacks with every step.

Grog was the first to grunt as he moved to attach some sort of chain to his blood covered axe.  As Emily ran past him, gun raised and loaded with another explosive round, she saw his chest turn a dull gray before hardening, as if he were rapidly petrifying before her startled eyes.  Just as quickly, he shook off the stone like infection that had began to form across his chest with a grunt before rolling his right shoulder, flashing the beholder a toothy grin as he did.  Running forward, the goliath laughed heartedly up at the floating mass of eyeballs until he was directly beneath the monster.  “Heh!  Gonna have to try harder than that, ya floatin’ ballsack!”  Having somehow attached the chain to his weapon, Grog reared his arm back and let the axe fly.  The axe buried itself into the beholder’s bottom side with a sickening crunch, the chain’s length wrapped around one of the barbarian’s tree trunk sized arms.  “HAH!”

While this was going on, Emily saw Keyleth darting for the right side as a ray of pink energy chased her down.  She stumbled over her robe’s edge, let out a sharp gasp as the bolt hit her in the center of her chest, and shook her head as if shaking off momentary dizziness.  What happened next left Emily beyond confused as she turned her staff towards Pike, moments before electricity danced and crackled between her and the cleric.  Pike rattled in her platemail on the spot as she was electrocuted, before that same electricity shot out of the gnome and lashed out at the three closest to her at that particular moment.

Emily was one of the three.  She didn’t know who else had been blasted, only that her world exploded behind her eyes as she twitched and spasmed on the spot.  Being hit by Delilah’s spell had been far worse, but this was a close second as she fell to the ground, her gun falling just in front of her.  While she could distantly hear someone calling her name, she was in no shape to respond as little tendrils of smoke poured off of her from the chain lightning.

The gunshot she heard pulled her attention elsewhere as the last of the electrical energy bled out.  She didn’t know why there was a slight buck to Keyleth’s body as a small hole appeared in her right leg, only that whatever madness had overtaken the druid was summarily dispelled because she shouted, “I’m okay!  Thanks for shooting me Percy!”

“You’re welcome, just don’t tell Vax!”  Percy shouted back from above and behind the royal assassin.  Glancing over her shoulder, she didn’t immediately see the gunslinger until she looked above the door, where she saw Percy walking on the stone wall as easily as if he were on the ground.  “Is everyone alright?”  He asked as one of his pistols snapped up towards the beholder in front of her, who still had the barbarian keeping its attention as he pulled his axe free and brought it back down onto its back side once more.

“A little cooked but I’m good.”  Pike called out, glowing brightly as she healed herself.  “Grog?”  Grog was busy as he happily continued to keep to the beholder’s back, burying his axe into its thick hide that had started to turn red from the deep cuts and gashes he’d left behind.  “Yeah he’s fine.  Emily?”

“I’m...alive.”  Emily grunted as she picked up her gun, stuffed it back into her belt, and promptly pulled one of her red vials from her bandolier.  Unscrewing the top, she upended the contents into her mouth, grimacing slightly at the all too present medicinal taste of the Sokolov Solution.  She hated the taste, even if she loved the old man it’d been named for.  Despite the taste that was entirely too bitter for her liking, she couldn’t argue with the results as the equally familiar healing warmth suffused her, undoing whatever internal damage she’d sustained from Keyleth’s lightning bolt.

Which led to why she’d shocked her and everyone else to begin with as Emily tossed the empty vial to the ground before ripping her gun free of her belt once more.  “What happened anyway?”  Emily yelled out as she and Percy unloaded on the beholder, just as she saw twin shadows fly through a large, distant window in the back of the large chamber.

“I was charmed!”  Keyleth called back once there was a pause between gunshots.  “That was mild compared to a disintegration beam!”

“Disintegration?!”  Emily shouted back, just as a sickly green ray of energy rocked towards her.  She reacted the only way she knew how, and summoned two Doppelgangers on either side of the room, away from the center eye that was leveled right on her.  Just when the beam would have found the mark, she was no longer standing in the same spot, having ‘jumped’ to the right side of the room.  Her Doppelganger wasn’t so fortunate as the shadowy construct was turned to dust when the beam hit her in the chest.  Whether the anti-magic field generated by the beast’s center eye had been the reason or the beam itself, Emily had no idea, only that she was in no hurry to find out as she watched Grog be lifted off the ground when another beam hit him in the face.

“Telekinesis!”  Percy explained before she could ask what was going on just as Grog hit the ground, hard a few seconds later.  The dry click from the wall and the human’s curses that followed didn’t do any favors for the Empress’s nerves.  “Gun’s broken!  Switching to another!”

“I’m really glad I’ve never had that problem!”  Emily retorted, no doubt earning an exasperated glare from Percy as she ran closer to the beholder, sword once more in her free hand as she leveled her pistol on one of the eyestalks themselves.  Just as she fired, taking off the targeted stalk at its base, Vax appeared on the top of the beholder’s body, his daggers finding new homes in the beholder’s skull while several arrows slammed into the top of its center eye.

“Good for you!  You didn’t make the first guns in your world either.”  Percy shouted back just as the twins flew over his elevated position.  “And what took you two so long?!”

“We got held up Percy.”  Vex called back as she flew past on her broom, only for her broom to fall out from underneath her when the beholder’s center eye affixed to her just as two beams slammed into her back.  The first, a dull gray burst of light flashing over her, but it had no from what Emily could tell.  The second however, a beam of red energy that exploded violently in every direction, was not so harmless as Vex screamed as flames appeared across her body as she continued to fall.

Emily didn’t think twice as she threw her father’s sword aside, snapped her hand up, and used Far Reach to try and grab Vex from the air.  The beholder’s eye stopped her Void tendril from reaching her however as it disappeared the moment it crossed its vision.  Grog wasn’t so limited as he left his axe buried in the beholder’s body, and stomped over to Vex’s side.  Reaching out, she fell in his arms heavily, but otherwise alright.  “Ow….thanks for the catch Grog.”

“Couldn’t let ya fall to your death Vex.”  He had just enough time to set the ranger down before the beholder flew towards him, mouth opened as wide as it could go before it locked its teeth around the goliath’s waist, leaving Grog to kick and flail his teeth uselessly in the air as it turned its head upward in quick succession.  Grog’s muffled curses and grunts of pain were all that they could hear as he hammered his fists into whatever he could reach.

Tossing Vex another of her potion vials, she didn’t wait to see if she caught it as Emily rolled, grabbed her sword from the ground, and charged for the beholder.  Unlading the rest of her gun’s clip into the beast, she threw the gun aside before trying Far Reach one last time.  Vax was smart enough to hop off of the beholder as she shot up towards its mouth, a small metal orb in her hand once more.  About that time, Grog finally found some leverage and pulled himself free of the jagged, teeth filled maw just as she threw the grenade between its jaws.  “Run, now!”  She shouted to the barbarian as she jumped off the side of the beholder’s body.

Grog didn’t need to be told twice as they bolted, just as the grenade went off.  The explosion that followed showered most of the central chamber in gore and bits of slime as the beholder, what was left of it, fell to the ground, wholly gutted from the inside out.  Despite being covered in blood and ichor themselves, Emily couldn’t help but chuckle as relief crashed through her body.  A feeling that was definitely mutual as the rest of Vox Machina collapsed where they’d fallen, just taking a few moments to catch their breath and be glad they were still alive.  “Nice way to finish the fight Empress.”  Taryon called out from the right side of the door.  “Is it always like this?”

“You’ve got no idea.”  Vax replied as he held out a hand to Emily.  She gladly accepted his help, just as she felt an increasingly familiar pulse of healing magic as their hands met once she had regained her footing.  He merely shot her a lopsided grin on his way to Vex’s side.  “Who’s idea was it to fly in  _ front  _ of the beholder again?”

“Oh shut it brother.”  Vex grumbled in retort as Emily saw Vax pass on a bit of his healing magic to her as well, his hand having fallen on her shoulder.  Just as quickly, he reached up and messed up her hair before she could push him away.  “Asshole.”  She grumbled, but the little twinkle to her eye and the way she tried to keep a smile from spreading across her face said she wasn’t truly upset over it.

“You love me and you know it Stubby.”  A quick glance around as the rest of their friends pulled potion vials or used what magic they had to heal themselves, had Vax turning his gaze to the stairwell that led higher up into the tower.  “Where’d she go?”

“Up here.”  Just at the entrance to the second floor, for a giant anyway, revealed the redhead staring down at them from the edge of the large staircase, her long legs dangling over the edge.  “You’ve made it this far, why not come the rest of the way?  Learn the truth of why I am so determined to kill you.”

"Uh, because you’re a dumb bitch?" Grog rumbled as he pulled his axe free of the beholder’s still smoking corpse.

“I’ve been wondering about that myself actually.”  Taryon called up to her once Grog brought his axe up to his shoulder, his hands forming an improvised cone to better project his voice.  “Why are you trying to kill us?  Why ally yourself with such ruffians as those lizards and fire giants?”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”  The bard said as she shrugged her shoulders.  “But more importantly, you, Vox Machina, need to die.”

“Never heard that one before.” Percy said dryly but kept his eyes fixed on the bard. “May I ask what we did this time to deserve such an effort as you’ve put in to see us fall?”

“Does the name Westruun ring any bells for you?”  The bard asked before Blinking up the rest of the stairs.  While she was out of sight, her voice was still perfectly audible to them, as was the first hints of hatred in her words.  “Your fight with Kevdak might have gained you the Titanstone Knuckles, you might have freed the people of Westruun, but you also cost the people of my home town a lot in the process.  Bad enough you brought Umbrasyl down near the edge of the city, but you didn’t even bother to draw our former captives out of the streets before engaging them in the center of town.  But no, you did something far worse in the process.”

“What is she talking about?”  Taryon asked as he looked towards the rest of the group, just as confused as Emily felt as she too looked towards Percy and Keyleth.

The way the druid’s eyes widened ever so slightly as she looked towards Vax told Emily everything she needed to know.  “You know what she’s accusing you of.”  She stated softly, and while she didn’t accuse anyone of anything, Emily still saw Keyleth flinch as if she’d struck her across the face.

“Don’t let her-”

“What?  Remind us that we’re responsible for killing those three people?!”  Keyleth shouted, cutting Vax off just as he got to her side.  “We could have spared them, but Scanlan and I still turned them to ash.”

“We revived the boy though….”  But even Pike’s attempt to put a positive spin on the situation didn’t work, because even she was deeply affected by the realization they had brought this upon themselves.  “But we didn’t revive the two civilians we…”  She trailed off, unable to finish the thought now that she too knew what it was they’d done.

“And now you know why the Outsider chose me to end you.”  The bard called down, although how she was able to hear them still Emily couldn’t immediately figure out.  “You saved a town, but created a monster in the process.  You save the kingdom of Emon from demons, and awaken an army of dragons months later.  You destroy the dragons, and you ensure your own destruction by stomping on the innocents in your path.  I’ll balance the scales, even if I have to die to see you fall.  You took everything from me, now I plan to return the favor.”

“The cycle has to end somewhere!”  Everyone jolted as their eyes fell on Emily.  Even the bard was momentarily struck silent as the Empress yelled towards the second floor opening.  “You want to kill them for destroying your family, fine, but where does it end?!  You were fully prepared to starve the people of Whitestone, allying yourself with the same enemy that threatened this world, and you claim to be balancing the scales?  You are so utterly naive.  You know nothing.  You have been so consumed by your petty hatreds and need for vengeance that you have become corrupted by your own pain.”  This she threw more towards Vex, since some of that heated response had been inspired by their last, in depth talk just the other day.  The ranger was especially touched as she blinked away the tears that unexpectedly appeared in her eyes.

But her words fell on deaf ears.  The next instant saw the bard Blink back down, rapier clenched tightly in her left hand while her right she held before her face.  “I know nothing?!  You, an  _ Empress _ , who has been forced to live on the streets for what, two months of her pathetic life?!  The Outsider told me a lot about you all, but he was genuinely disappointed in you, Emily Kaldwin.  You’re the first royal he has ever gifted his power with, and you waste it on being merciful instead of reaching for your full potential.”

“Wasted? How short sighted.” Emily shot back and maneuvered herself into position to deflect the bard’s rapier when she Blinked into their midst.  Their blade’s locked, and she was staring directly into the woman’s mismatched eyes.  “How can you hope to build anything, to improve, if you bring only death? This wasn't about me, this was what was best for my people!  My friends!  My family!  I never wanted a river of blood leading back to my throne, I simply wanted my life back!”  With a roar, they broke apart, before two Doppelgangers appeared on either side of both combatants, which quickly went in for the kill once more.

Grog could only scratch his head as he and the rest of the group watched as three Emily Kaldwins and three red haired bards clashed just in front of the stairwell.  “Uh...I know who’s the threat and all, but should we get in the middle of that?”  No sooner had the words left his mouth did Vex pull her bow and take a shot at one of the bard copies.  While she deflected the arrow’s point at the last second, it allowed Emily’s copy to cut her down.

The smoke that poured out of her didn’t slow Vax down as he charged at the second Doppelganger, Whisper leaving his hand in the next moment.  While the second Doppelganger fell, the real bard growled and Blinked away before his other two daggers could find the mark. Emily was close behind and followed their latest adversary with her own supernatural abilities.

The two of them clashed briefly in the air above the heads of Vox Machina before once again separating from one another.  The bard tried to keep her distance, always Blinking away when she got the chance, but the young empress was relentless and followed her, ever higher up the damaged tower.

“Come on!” Percy shouted and ran up the stairs and gestured towards his companions to follow. “We gotta help her!” It was at that moment where they saw Emily falling down towards the floor only to extend one of her arms and shoot back up again. As they followed her, they could hear the clash of metal echoing throughout the tower.  At times they briefly saw one of the two before the bard vanished out of sight again, only to clash once more.  While Percy did what he could to keep up, avoiding the stairs altogether as he simply walked along the wall, they were moving too quickly for him to get a bead on the bard without hitting Emily in the process.  “I can’t get a clear shot!  Damn Aminus to the Hells and back!”

“Curse your guns later, just keep running.”  Vax grunted out, having since picked up Keyleth in his arms as he shot ahead of the group.  Vex was close on his heels while Grog carried Pike on his shoulders once more.  Doty and Taryon made their own way, similarly to Vax and Keyleth, just without the added benefit of flight as the clockwork giant lumbered up each large stair as best it could while letting Taryon cling to its back.  “Hurry up!”

“Easy for him to say, he’s got wings.”  Taryon groaned weakly as he almost lost his stranglehold on the robot’s neck.  It wasn’t until he looked down, to the floor that was far below them, that he found a fresh wave of strength.  “I mean, go on ahead!  We’ll catch up!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth did the group see Emily be kneed in the face by what they at first mistook to be a red streak.  Said streak was in fact the bard as she launched herself at the Empress in a variation of a flying kick, having used her Blink’s momentum to push Emily back and down the stairs before disappearing once more.  She didn’t fall far before Grog, having pulled just ahead of most of them, caught her against his chest.  “Is it my day birth or something?  I keep on catchin’ you women and all.”

“No such luck I’m afraid.”  Emily replied as she dabbed at her busted lip, where the bardic assassin’s knee had landed.  After being gently set down, she pulled the cork on one of her blue potion vials, and once more downed the contents in one shot with a groan and a grimace.  “Ugh.  Thank you for the timely arrival though.”

“You alright?” Vex asked her, concerned as she looked over the slightly battered form of her friend.

“I will be.”  Emily replied simply, and used far reach to shoot upwards once more.

“There she goes again.” Keyleth muttered, unhappy with the fact that the Empress seemed intent on fighting the bard by herself.

Emily for her part used the momentum she had gathered to shoot through a hole in the floor above her and land in a crouch on the very top of the tower. Though what she saw was not what she had expected. “Father?” She questioned, beyond surprised, for none other than Corvo Attano stood before her a gentle smile on his face.  The same one he had always gifted her with.

“Emily.”  It was the same rough Serkonon rumble she was so familiar with.  The same gleam in those dark brown eyes as he slowly walked forward.  The long black coat he wore fluttered on either side of him with every step, his hands resting at his sides, empty but she knew how fast he was.  He picked up speed, and Emily forgot all about the bard as she started forward at the same time, picking up speed in a desperate attempt to reach him first.

It was but for a moment that she let her guard down, for the tiniest of moments, but it was enough for the disguised bard to bury her dagger in her stomach as the illusion dissolved, revealing their opponent once more.  She exhaled explosively, desperately trying to keep the pain at bay as she looked up at the malicious grin on her opponent's face. “Got you.” The bard whispered tauntingly, and pulled her weapon free, robbing Emily of the only thing keeping her upright as she collapsed to her knees.

“You....how?!”  Emily gasped, her weapons having since fallen from her hands as she clutched at the gaping hole in her stomach.

“I already told you, the Outsider revealed a great deal about you and your new friends.  You’re an intelligent woman, figure it out.”  The bard chuckled darkly as she brought her rapier's point up against Emily’s throat.  “I wouldn’t recommend getting any closer, Vax’ildan.  One little slip of my hand and I open her throat.”  She called out, just as a familiar black shadow landed ever so softly behind her, his black raven wings furling tightly against his back.  He didn’t get any closer, but Emily could see how torn he was about just hanging back.

It was a small comfort, but a comfort all the same.  “Throw down your arms, no one else need die today.  Just you, all of Vox Machina, to protect the world from your irresponsibility and poor choices that have spawned so much suffering in these last few years.  How many more must die before you get the hint?”

“You must really be insane if you think we’re just going to let you do this.”  Vax hissed between his teeth.  “I’m so sorry your family died, but so many more would have fallen if Thordak and the Conclave were left alive.”

“A threat YOU brought into this world!”  The bard roared back, letting her eyes fall away from Emily for just a split second.  It was enough as Emily saw Vex take up a flanking position on the right side of the tower’s top, she saw now that she could see past the illusion of her father’s face.  The arrow passed clean through the bard’s wrist, forcing her to let go of her sword, just as Emily threw her hand back out behind her.  Far Reach got her close enough to Pike, who promptly cast another healing spell on her as she tumbled to the gnome’s feet.

Clutching at her bleeding, maimed hand, the bard hissed and growled as Vex pulled her necklace out from beneath her armor.  “Trinket, now!”  The giant brown bear roared his acknowledgement as he bounded from Vex’s jeweled necklace, barreling towards the bard.  While she Blinked away, Percy was there to greet her as he fired where she appeared seconds later, three little holes appearing in her left shoulder, her right knee, and in the left side of her chest.  Taking a knee, the woman could only glare impotently as Keyleth leveled her staff in her direction.

“You really are a sad excuse for a woman, aren’t you?  I’d pity you, except I get the feeling it’d be wasted on you.”  The lightning that sparked and danced across Keyleth’s staff made its central gem glow brightly before it discharged in a near blinding flash towards the helpless woman.

Before it connected, the world slowed down just as the bard’s hand flared with an unnaturally cold light.  The arcing bolt of electricity stalled to a halt, just as the rest of Vox Machina were similarly frozen, weapons raised in the moment of bringing them down upon their enemy.  Emily was the only one to see it happen, because she was the only one that could still move despite Bend Time’s effect.  “You think I was helpless, Empress?”

Despite having her worst fears realized, Emily shook her head at the bard’s hate filled declaration.  “No, but this leaves us in a curious predicament, doesn’t it?”

“Oh?  I don't think so.” The bard said darkly and turned her sights on Keyleth.

Emily though couldn't allow her to attack her friends, she grabbed onto the bard with Far Reach and pulled the woman towards her.  “What you think is of no concern.”  Before the bard knew what was happening, Emily locked her hand around the woman’s throat, while the other shot towards the tower’s edge.  Far Reach saw them to the edge, and just as time began its natural flow once more, Emily pulled the bard over with her.

Even while falling, the two continued to struggle against one another, trying to put the other beneath them in hopes of softening the fall somewhat, no matter how little it would most likely mean in the end.  Even at this height, Blink and Far Reach both would aid them little because they were falling too fast from too high a height.  Emily knew this, but she couldn’t allow the bard to escape, on the off chance she survived and dragged herself to safety.  “I’ll see you in the Void!”  Emily roared in her face, even as the bard desperately sunk her dagger in her chest.  In the end that was all it took as Emily locked her arms and legs around the woman, and refused to let go.

“You first!”  The maddened woman screamed back and headbutted her, and while it loosened Emily’s grip somewhat, it wasn’t enough to slip free completely.  But the woman actually managed to put Emily beneath her as they spun through the air, with the bard ending up with her chest against Emily’s back. “Scream for me your highness!”  She yelled over the wind as she twisted the dagger still buried in her chest.

Emily saw the ground fast approaching, but she knew that she had to make sure that the bard died with her.  No matter the cost.  Preparing herself for the pain to come, she took hold of her own sword, and pushed its point into herself, right through her own stomach and into the bard’s chest that clung to her back.  The bard let a soft, surprised gasp escape her, too stunned despite the pain racking them both before darkness claimed her.  The ground met them only seconds later as they impacted first off the side of the tower, the bone breaking impact strong enough to separate them.  Emily hardly felt it as she landed on the ground, a small, sad, but contented smile on her face.  The crunch of something vital snapping like a dry twig was the last thing she heard before darkness claimed her as well.

* * *

For those left upon the top of the tower, however the situation was far different. One moment they had the bard encircled and at their mercy, and in the next both their prey and Emily had disappeared.  “Hey! Where’d they go?” Grog asked, confused as he looked around, startled and more than a bit annoyed that the woman had seemingly escaped them.  While his feeling were not exactly mirrored by the rest of his friends, his words most certainly were.

“Emily?   _ Emily _ !”  Vex shouted at the top of her lungs before her gaze connected with her brother’s own. “Do you think she… she’s alright?”

Vax was tempted to tell her that everything was going to be alright, but he honestly had no idea.  “I don’t know, Vex’ahlia. I really have no idea.”  He admitted as he looked at the spot Emily had been in just a second ago.  Now all that remained as proof of her presence was a small puddle of blood from her wounds before Pike had healed her.  Her gun was also present, but that was further behind the gnome, near the edge of the tower.  A horrible thought began to take hold as Vax started towards the gnome, but his gaze was riveted to the intricate pistol.  How had it wound up-

“Um guys?”  Kashaw’s voice over the earrings had all of them freezing on the spot.  “We have a….just get down here, now.”

“No, no no no this isn’t happening.”  Keyleth moaned as she too saw the gun, but also heard the same thing they all had in Kashaw’s voice.  “She didn’t-”

“Oh no.”  Pike exclaimed as she and Vax looked over the edge then, her hands flying to her mouth as she tried to stifle her gasp of shock, a futile effort, especially when Zahra’s mournful wail pierced the eerily silent night.  “We need to get down there, now.”

No sooner had she started to run as fast as her little legs could carry her did loud, sarcastic clapping stop them in their tracks again.  All eyes fell upon the new arrival, who took on the form of a young man.  A young man with black eyes as dark as the Void.  “Congratulations.  You’ve done it yet again.”  The Outsider chuckled darkly as he let his hands fall to his sides.  “You’ve achieved a pyrrhic victory, at the cost of an Empress no less.  Though I admit that was…. Unexpected.” The deity admitted after the briefest moments of contemplations.  He seemed delighted at the fact that he had been surprised though.  “Out of all of the possible futures I’ve seen, this was one of the most unlikely to come to pass.  But it doesn’t change anything.  You still failed to accomplish anything of note, merely prolonged the inevitable.”

“So you’re the one that has haunted our every step since Emily’s arrival I take it?”  Percy asked as he held up his hands to stop his friends from riddling the Outsider full of holes.  Not that he expected they’d be able to do it, but he wanted a chance to talk to this man first in either event.  “The one that, according to her, has been at the heart of every historical event?”

“I’m merely an observer of the chaos that often follows, but yes, if that’s how you wish to summarize me with your limited understanding.  At least you’re the smart one, despite being very similar to my dearly departed assassin.  She was right you know.”  The Outsider mockingly replied, disappearing and reappearing so that he was right in front of Percy, who merely crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side.

“Oh I don’t doubt that, but that is where we’re different.  Your assassin had lost so much, she had every right to be angry, and as you said yourself, I know that feeling all too well.  But she chose to let it consume her.”

“Says the man who shot off a coach driver’s hand when he didn’t answer your questions fast enough.”  The Outsider retorted, a smug little smirk appearing on his face when Percy’s eyes twitched, a flash of anger and shame his only reaction.  “Don’t try to play the hero when you’re every bit the villain in this little stage show of ours.”

“Why are we talkin’ to this fucknut anyway?”  Grog growled and swung his axe loosely in front of his feet.  “He’s why all this happened ain’t he?  I say we kill ‘im now and see if he’s so eager to run his mouth then.”

“Why?  Oh that is quite simple my dimwitted friend. You are afraid.” The Outsider pointed out amused, and disappeared only to reappear right beside Grog.   All but leaning on him, the black eyed man didn’t seem affected by the sheer size different. “Because if you go down there you can no longer deny what you did, during your fight with your Uncle Kevdak.  Scanlan Shorthalt might have been the one that destroyed my assassin’s family, but it was your pride that put him in that position in the first place.”

“That assassin-”  Pike started to say.

“Was given powers by me, yes.  But I didn't make her come after you, she had plenty of incentive for that herself.”  The black eyed man said and fixed the gnome with a hard stare as he moved to the center of the tower’s top the next instant.  “How many people have to die until you realise that you are no heroes?  Your body count is impressive enough as it is.  Not only that, but you had the power to bring them to life the very next day, yet you moved on without a backwards glance.  And you people say I’m the monster here.”

The arrows that thunked into his back wiped the smug smirk off of the Outsider’s face.  While he hardly grunted, the dark glare he leveled on Vex said she had just earned a special place on his very short list.  “You’re no god, no matter what you’d have people believe you sack of shit.  You take enjoyment from fucking with us, and for what?!”

“Because it’s interesting, Vex’ahlia.  Because eternity gets dull without something to keep you attached to the life you leave behind when you’re given godhood.  Tell me, when you talked to our beloved Empress, did you mean a single word you said? About how you think she is a good and beautiful person?  Or did you merely manipulate her like so many others? You know what she means to people, don't you?  And if you can benefit from it, you seldom hesitate to use that for your own gain.”

“That might have been true once before,” Percy growled, no longer able to keep his cool just as Vax threw Whisper at the Outsider’s right side, “but we’ve all changed since coming together.  And you’re no longer welcome in this world.”  The thunderous roar of Bad News was followed by the twang of three more arrows and another fireball where the Outsider was just standing only moments ago.  While they hit nothing but air, Percy felt better to have seen the Outsider flee.  “He’ll be back, but the simple fact he ran at all says he can be hurt.  If he can be hurt, he can die.”

“Worry about it later.  We need to get downstairs, now.”  Vax commanded as he picked up Keyleth in his arms once more.  He didn’t smile when she nuzzled against his neck, but he squeezed her a little tighter against his body in an effort to reassure her as best he could.

The atmosphere during their descend was tense to say the least.  For one, every one of them knew that they weren't done with the Outsider, not by a long shot.  To make it worse, everyone already had an idea what awaited them at the foot of the tower. They would try to deny it, to cling onto hope, but deep down in their hearts they knew what had happened to the young empress.

Percy was the first to reach the bottom of the stairs, his eyes met the gaze of Kashaw who stood in the doorway his face a carefully controlled mask of neutrality.  “Outside.” He said simply, and gestured behind him before turning round and moving in the same direction, head held lower than they were used to from the man.  “I already tried a Revivify, but it didn’t work.  Something’s keeping her spirit back.  And yes, before you ask, Vesh is still locked up, but she probably noticed, so no I’m not going to try my luck twice in one day.  It’ll be up to Pike.”

Most of the group hardly heard Kashaw at that point as they saw Zahra’ cradling Emily’s head against her lap.  The sword that had been sticking out of her stomach had been removed, but the gaping hole still remained as she let her tears fall onto the young woman’s face.  “You won.”  Zahra said without looking up to the closest of Vox Machina.  “You won….but this is the cost.”

“We’re….aware.”  Percy replied softly as he swallowed the lump in his throat.  “We’re all too aware.”

They turned, as one, when they heard another round of sarcastic applause from the side of the tower.  It didn’t take them long to see the Outsider, walking down the wall before he stopped and bowed at the waist.  "All hail Emily Drexel Lela Kaldwin, first of her name. Empress of the Isles, whose reign was cut short by those she called friends." The Outsider called down from his perch on the tower.  Even from this distance, the mocking look in his eyes easily visible before he disappeared for good this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long live Empress Emily Kaldwin. Damn that sucked to write, but trust me, it's not over yet. They still have to deal with the Outsider himself, but that fight just dealing with the assassin was rough. Honestly I have no idea how I'm going to write the fall of a fucking god lol. I'm not entirely happy with some of the talking bits after Emily's fall from the tower, but meh, it's what my muse insisted upon. There WAS going to be this big thing with the bard going directly after Scanlan and his daughter, having her seduce and kidnap Kaylie so she could draw the bard into a trap before killing him, but I had no idea how she was going to get away from Vox Machina while still giving them a chance to go to the Hells to deal with the raksasha and the Outsider himself. So this is my alternative choice. Still, I hope this was good for everyone else, and I will see you again in the next chapter. We're nearing the end people. Peace!


	17. Long Live the Empress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one jumps POVs fairly often, at least three different times, and things get a bit hairy around the midway point. Buckle up for a wild ride folks. ;D

**Chapter 16**

**Long Live the Empress**

The day had started as any other, but it didn’t stay that way.  Despite having done a great deal in rebuilding the Tower’s staff, of having combed through dozens of applications, one of which turned out to be a city printer that his daughter had saved from Delilah’s guards, Corvo had gone to bed the night before feeling good about the work he’d been doing.  There was something clean and decent about putting the pieces of Dunwall back together, of giving the people hope again as he paved the way for the city’s metaphorical rebirth from the edge of the cliff Delilah had dragged it towards.  And while there was an immense amount of work still left to do, Delilah had actually done him a favor when she had had her witches stalk through the city, killing most of those same people that had given Emily so much trouble in the past.  It turns out they hadn’t much liked Delilah either once the nobility had figured out what kind of person she was, although at least with the witch, they had had a legitimate reason to be upset beyond their petty squabbling that had bogged down Parliament and his daughter’s efforts time and time again.

But Corvo Attano had woken up the following morning with an unusually heavy weight on his chest.  While he did his best to ignore it as he prepared for the day, his trepidation and unease only grew the longer the day progressed.  Meetings with more staff, new and those few old loyal subjects that had been able to flee Dunwall before Delilah’s grip had tightened too much for people to escape, a sparring session with the new guards that numbered many of his fellow Serkonians, provided by the ‘old’ Duke Abele as a show of good faith, and more meetings with various city planners and builders to do much needed repairs to those areas of the city that had suffered damage during the hostile takeover.  Yet that feeling in the pit of his stomach, that felt like a palpable vice on his heart, refused to leave him be.

It was only as the sun was beginning to sink past the horizon, giving way to a clear, if cold, night that Corvo felt something change.  Having found himself in front of Jessamine’s recently restored grave marker, he slowly knelt down so he could read the bronzed plate bearing his lover’s name, and placed his hand against the metal plaque.  The moment he did, Corvo grimaced as that terrible feeling that had been weighing him down all day twisted like a knife to the guts.  “Emily!”  He gasped, as he stumbled back from the grave, breathing heavily as his hand dived into the confines of his long black coat, finding the familiar weight of his mask.  Pulling it out, Corvo felt only a little better, but it was certainly better than the intense feeling of heart wrenching loss he’d felt a moment ago.  Holding it up towards the dying light, Corvo sighed and shook his head, cursing himself for a fool, even though he knew better.  Just as he’d known Emily was beyond his reach before the Raven Queen had found him in that hallway, he knew….

He couldn’t finish the thought as he let his arm drop, setting his mask down on one bent knee.  “What do I really know about her anyway?”  Corvo muttered aloud, wanting to deny the Raven Queen’s seemingly good intentions.  The Outsider might have been a bastard but he’d not done Corvo any direct harm in all of their brief, usually one sided talks.  Void take him, the only reason he’d been able to save Emily at all, all those years ago, was because of the Outsider’s mark.  He was good, but he wasn’t that good.  Corvo knew his limits.  It was why he was still alive.

And yet, he also knew Daud, the same man that had murdered Jessamine, had also been gifted with the Outsider’s powers.  He understood the Outsider was no friend, that he did what he did for his own inscrutable reasons, and the simple fact he had given his power to such a dangerous individual told Corvo that the Outsider had simply done the same for him for his own perverse amusement.  Not because he had wanted to see Corvo succeed or fail, he had just wanted to see what would happen.  To see how he’d react to having the opportunity to right the same wrongs that black eyed bastard had inadvertently, if knowingly, set into motion by giving his Mark to that bastard, Daud, as well.

The same bastard that would later, at least according to the Outsider, save Emily in his own right by stopping Delilah fifteen years ago.  How he’d done that Corvo hadn’t discovered in all of that time, only that a mysterious painting had been found in a long abandoned mansion, with a small army of unconscious witches that the Overseers had taken into custody about the same time after receiving an anonymous tip.  Corvo was willing to bet it’d been Daud himself that had ratted them out.

Whatever the case, he sighed and shook his head, having given himself a headache in trying to unravel what any of this meant for him now.  It didn’t help that the Raven Queen’s words still echoed in his head, even after a week of having kept himself so busy.  Add on top of that this new, heavy feeling of something terrible happening, and Corvo couldn’t decide if he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs again, or hop on the nearest ship and sail off into the sunset.  Instead he merely let his head drop and his gaze fall on the mask resting on his knee.  “I must be losing my mind at last if I’m even considering listening to a dream.”

Despite that self deprecating remark, Corvo mentally shrugged his shoulders as he stood to his feet, mask still in hand as he straightened to his full height.  Giving Jessamine’s grave one last long, sorrowful glance, he turned away, turning to stare at the nearby Tower that jutted up, over the city and the Isle itself.  He might have been Serkonan born, but Dunwall would always be his home.  Just as he was about to put his mask away however, he felt something brush against his bare wrist.  Half expecting to see a woman’s hand wrapped gently around his arm, he frowned when there was nothing.   But it was enough of a distraction that he got the feeling someone, or something, didn’t want him to put it away just yet.

He knew he was on the right track when he felt someone leaning into his right ear, before an all too familiar whisper reach his ears.  “Your daughter needs you.  Put on the mask again, Corvo Attano, and envision her face with all of your heart and soul.  Follow the thread I’ve left for you.”

“And here I was hoping I was merely dreaming.”  He muttered, and while he ignored the soft, eerie chuckle from the Raven Queen, he held up the mask in front of his face once more, staring intently into the glass empty eye sockets, as if he expected to see someone staring back at him.  With these recent visitations from something other than the Outsider for a change, that wasn’t so surprising though.  But that left him with a puzzle, what thread had she-

He felt rather stupid when he remembered the feather he had left in the lining of his mask.  While he highly doubted it’d be so easy as simply putting on his mask and envisioning her face, any chance to see Emily again was better than nothing at this point.  Despite the fifteen years between his days as Dunwall’s masked assassin and now, it still fit perfectly on his face, almost like it had never left.  He had to slightly adjust the lenses a little, but beyond that it was just like old times.  But while he didn’t see anything immediately amiss, Corvo felt….something strange, a just noticeable hum that left his teeth tingling in his skull, almost like someone was passing a light electrical current through his face.  It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but it was one he didn’t recognize.

Turning to Jessamine’s grave, it was then he saw it, rather the edge of it.  Gingerly stepping over the marker in the ground, he peered over the edge of the stone gazebo, and saw a swirling vortex of dark purple light just beyond the cliff’s edge.  He blinked, pulled the mask off, and glanced over the edge again, only for there to be nothing there at all save for the waves crashing against the stone far below.  Putting it back on showed the same mystical disturbance.  “My domain is the transition between life and death.”  The Raven Queen whispered in his ear again.  “And while Jessamine fell many years ago, such loss can leave a scar behind.  This is but one of them.  The loss of a child, seeing her mother fall before she is taken away, the loss of a loved one as they die in their arms.  Yours and Emily’s profound pain gave rise to the scar you now see.  A scar that will lead you to her, if you but take the leap.”

“And when they fish my body out of the water, they’ll wonder why their Lord Protector decided to take his own life.”  Corvo retorted, but there was no bite behind his words, and the Raven Queen scoffed in clear amusement at his attempt to deny the truth of what he was seeing.  He doubted she blamed him for not believing what his eyes were telling him, especially if she was half as knowledgable about everything as he assumed she was.  So instead of debating it further, Corvo nodded his head and prepared to jump.  Before that though, he pulled out a small pocket watch that he had received from Jessamine shortly before he’d left on his trip to the other Isles, one that contained an equally small picture of Emily’s face.  Running his fingers gently over the picture, he clicked it shut, put it back into his pocket, and jumped…..

* * *

It had been a long night.  The group had returned to the castle with heads bowed and their hearts heavy, despite having successfully destroyed the bard and her dragon worshiping allies.  The few lizards that had survived had fled the scene, leaving enough of a trail that they could have followed, but they had had more important things on their minds than a few more dead lizards.  As such, they had dragged themselves back to Whitestone without rest or setting up camp, not that the walk was all that long really.  It had only seemed like it given the situation they found themselves in, with the weight of their deeds, old and new alike, making every step a trial in and of itself.

Pike had taken Emily’s remains, with Grog’s help, to the Raven Queen’s temple, in the De Rolo cemetery grounds, where she planned to clean and prepare her body for the ritual in the morning.  Percy had taken Vex to their room in the castle, where he let the ranger dissolve into a teary eyed mess against his chest for most of the night.  Keyleth had done something similar to Vax, having been hit almost as hard as the ranger despite the slight animosity between her and the young Empress when she had first arrived.  The rogue hadn’t complained as he held her against him, letting the druid cry softly into the crook of his neck for however long she required it.  Like Percy, Vax understood and even accepted his part in what had transpired.

That didn’t mean he agreed with the Outsider’s actions of placing the blame on them and them alone.  Something he made sure Keyleth had understood before she eventually dozed off in his arms later that night.  It was probably just as well, since having had to say it out loud had made his own guilt easier to bear, even though he had no idea as to how Emily had pulled the assassin over the edge of the tower at all.  That part still left him scratching his head, but in the end he had decided it didn’t matter.  Only that they had to deal with the aftermath in whatever way they could.

When he eventually fell asleep with Keyleth still clinging to him tightly, as if he were the only thing keeping her together, Vax was only mildly annoyed to see a familiar porcelain face in the darkness when his mind drifted off to the realm of sleep.  “I wondered when you’d call me again.”  He stated, no longer afraid or angry that he had become her Champion.  He’d come to terms with a lot of things in recent months, and while he was still a little uneasy with serving a goddess of all things, Vax was able to look at that strange, mask like face without his former disbelief and fear induced anger.  “You’ve been busy.”

“I have, my Champion.  You no doubt have many questions.”

“Oh I have a few.”  Vax sarcastically muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest.  “Your visit to Emily for one, and why she can’t remember more than a few vague images of your face for one, but with these visits from the Outsider, I think I can guess.”

The Raven Queen’s ‘mask’ split into an eerie, amused wide grin as her visage filled Vax’s vision entirely.  “Your suspicions are correct.  The Outsider’s curse, and his greatest ability, is the visions he endures from the Void he serves.  As such, he sees little point in lying about the things he’s seen.  But neither is he obligated to tell the entire truth.”

“So he told his Marked just enough to push her towards us.  But if that’s the case, then he likely tried to do the same with Emily, telling her enough of our dirty laundry in the hopes she’d come to her own decision to do his bidding.”  All in all, it was an ingeniously simple plan, one that left virtually no trace of the real culprit while letting his patsy take the inevitable fall.  Vax would have been impressed if he weren’t so disgusted, especially since he had gotten to know Emily Kaldwin.  Jerking his head up, Vax narrowed his gaze towards her ‘face’, fully aware she had already put the pieces together, but had kept her silence.  But just as quickly he looked away, his hardened visage softening when his mind followed the thought to its natural conclusion.  “You knew but couldn’t or didn’t say a word about it.”

“The Outsider has altered the fate of so many with his subtle manipulations, and overt ‘gifts’ of fragments of his power.”  The Raven Queen replied, explaining only as much as was absolutely required for him to understand.  “I might have all the answers, Vax’ildan, but being burdened with such knowledge would not grant you what you truly desire.  And as you yourself have said, such truths are not meant for you, and now you’ve begun to understand why if this incident is anything to go by.”

Vax understood alright, and while he still wasn’t happy with what had occurred, he was at least rational enough to see her point.  And even as the words wanted to pour forth, he was too tired and beaten down to try and pin the blame on his diety’s silence.  Would knowing have changed anything in the end?  Not likely.  Sighing instead, Vax found something else to say.  “We’re going to try and revive Emily in the morning.  I still plan to keep my word, but your assistance would be appreciated when the time comes.  There’s little I can offer you that I haven’t already-”

He fell silent when a spectral hand appeared and cupped the side of his cheek, the Raven Queen’s ‘face’ having shrunk down to a much more manageable size in the same instant.  She smiled then, warmly, soothingly, as her fingers caressed his cheek.  “You needn’t ask, Vax’ildan, and neither have I been idle.  Just as I abhor those who pervert fate entirely, bending one’s thread of destiny is another matter.  Her life’s ultimate fate is still unknown, but should she live, young Emily has much yet left to accomplish, not only for herself, but for her people.”

The underlying theme of course was that she’d go home, far from them.  While they had hardly known her for a week and a couple days, the news still left Vax feeling as if someone had dropped a rock in his stomach.  Before he could ask any further questions of the Raven Queen though, she pulled her hand away, just as her face morphed into a concerned frown.  That alone made Vax very concerned as she seemed to peer at something beyond him.  “Wake up, Vax’ildan.”

As if someone had tied his feet to a pair of iron anchors, Vax found himself flung out of the dream, and shooting upright in the bed.  Blinking away the early morning sunlight that streamed through the single window by the bed, he put a hand up to block the light, just in time to see a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye.  After the last assassin attack from the raksasha’s hired blades, men that had come from the Clasp, Vax didn’t think twice about pulling his daggers out from beneath his pillow just as he rolled out of the covers with a cry to Keyleth, who until then had remained blissfully unaware of any danger.  It was just as well because the blade that appeared in the attacker’s hand flashed up and harmlessly deflected the first dagger mid throw while the second he nimbly jerked away from at the last second.

The black, grinning mechanical mask he stared into was unnerving, to be sure, but Vax still blocked the defensive swipe of the man’s blade on his dagger’s bladed edge before jerking his head to the side when the assassin made to strike at his throat.  He knew that move, having been subjected to Emily performing it on him once already.  But that didn’t stop him from throwing Whisper towards the ceiling, where it stuck fast, allowing the rogue to teleport up only to just as quickly fall to the ground, both of his blades pointed towards the man.  He proved just as nimble and adaptive as he rolled towards the door, and snapped his free hand up that now held an equally familiar crossbow.

His aim was thrown off as Percy slammed the door into the man’s back, forcing him to stumble at the same moment he pulled the trigger, which released a vial of green liquid just over Vax’s left shoulder.  With Keyleth’s hand falling away from the side of her head, Vax knew how the nobleman had found them so quickly just as he leveled his pistol to the back of the assassin’s head.  “I’d rather not shoot you good sir, but I’m going to have to ask you to lay down your arms and remove your mask.”

“You’re quick.”  The man muttered, his accent strangely gravely but not unpleasantly so as he slowly let his sword drop to the ground at his side.  Whether he meant Percy or Vax was up for debate, but the rogue didn’t particularly care as he stared into that black mask.  He seemed to find it amusing because a moment later, the assassin chuckled dryly as he set his hand crossbow down next before slowly reaching up for the mask.  “But if I had wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have tried to merely slip through the door after climbing through the window.”

“What is it with people these days?”  Keyleth grumbled, before she and Vax sucked in a sharp breath when the mask was pulled away, revealing the older man underneath.  While they had never seen him before in their life, it was something about his eyes that struck a familiar chord in them both.  Despite the scar that ran down from his left eye and down to his large nose, or the gray in his stubbly beard that covered most of the bottom half of his face, the dark haired assassin was still handsome, for an older gentleman assassin.  The long black coat and equally dark blue pants, with black buckled boots that went up to about halfway up his leg, completed the impressive, intimidating figure.

But it was the dark brown, deep eyes that truly drew their gaze as Percy too finally saw the man from the front after gingerly walking around him, gun still drawn and aimed unerringly at his temple.  “Oh gods, if you’re here now that can only mean one thing.”  Percy muttered as he slowly let his gun hand fall to his side.

“Any other day, I’d be surprised you know who I am, but after how I got here, I’m willing to suspend my disbelief.”  The man rumbled as he slowly stood to his feet, his dark brown eyes affixing to Vax’s face once more.  “That was a neat trick with your dagger by the way.  I take it you’re the one to keep an eye on if you’re half as good as I used to be at your age.”

“Somethin’ like that.”  Normally Vax would have smirked a little at his keen observation, but while he relaxed, if only slightly as he sheathed his daggers into his belt, the rogue had had a similar realization as Percy had.  “Am I safe in assuming you’re Corvo Attano, the Royal Protector we’ve heard about?”

“I am.”  Corvo replied simply and crossed his arms over his chest as Percy kicked his sword towards the redhaired woman by the bed.  His crossbow soon followed, which she made disappear with an efficiency that spoke of alarming regularity of similar situations cropping up.  “I see Emily’s been talking.”  He observed idly, before his dark brown eyes hardened to stone cold slits.  “Where is she?”

“It’s….better if we show you, Lord Attano.  But before we get-”  Percy never got a chance to finish as Corvo moved with frightening speed, a dagger of his own appearing in his right hand that stopped just shy of the nobleman’s throat.  Even when Vax pulled one of his own and dug the tip into the back of his neck, Corvo didn’t relent save to glare balefully at the man on the other end of the blade.  “D-don’t Vax!  He’s merely a father worried for his child!”  Percy pleaded, having seen that look all too often on his own face as Corvo silently leveled his gaze once more on him.  While Vax didn’t move, he didn’t drive the dagger into the vulnerable spot between Corvo’s shoulder blades.  Percy called that a minor victory as he gingerly waved Keyleth down in the next moment when he saw her picking up her staff out of the corner of his eye.

“Start making sense or by the Outsider’s crooked cock, I’ll gut you where you stand.”  Corvo growled menacingly just as quickly glaring again at Vax.  “And don’t think that blade will help you twice.  I’ve used my share of magic to know it when I see it.  You have to find purchase with that blade before you can transverse.  Am I right?”

“He’s definitely Emily’s father.”  Vax said to Percy while answering Corvo’s accusation at the same time.  “But as her father, then you won’t risk killing an innocent man.  She spoke often of your mercy, of how your example guided her actions against Delilah and her allies.  The Crown Killer she saved from herself, Aramis she saved from madness, Paulo and Burns she shipped off to a work camp for five years, she destroyed Jindosh’s mind, and Breanna was stripped of her powers.  All because Emily found another way,  _ your  _ way.  That’s why I know you won’t kill Percy, or any of us without sufficient cause.”

Vax’s impassioned speech didn’t seem to have an immediate effect, but when the dagger fell away from Percy’s throat, they all breathed much easier as Corvo stepped back.  He didn’t hand over the dagger, and after how easily he’d gotten the drop on them, it probably wouldn’t have mattered if he had, but they relaxed further still as it disappeared into the belt wrapped around his waist.  “You probably know more about what happened than I do, if she told you all that, but you still haven’t answered my questions.  Where is she?”

“Promise not to stab us?”  Vax asked, trying to interject humor that fell on deaf ears when Corvo merely glared at him again.  He sighed but nodded, but looked down towards himself before waving his hand over his half dressed state.  “Can we at least get dressed first?”

“You have five minutes, otherwise I’ll start looking for her myself, with, or without you.”  Corvo promised darkly before spinning on his heel.  The guard he walked by jumped, reached for his sword, but a hand on his arm stopped him as Corvo jerked his head towards Percy.  In the time it took the guard to look towards the man, Corvo had already slipped past with a shake of his head.

While Percy sagged with relief as the adrenaline faded from his system, he couldn’t help but groan in abject embarrassment at the guard’s momentary lapse.  If he’d been a true threat, he and several of his fellows would have likely been dead by now.  But knowing better than to test the man’s patience after that….display, he, Vax, and Keyleth quickly prepared while informing the rest of the group they had an unexpected arrival.  Despite their haste, Vax half expected to find most of the Pale Guard dead on the floor of the main hall when they ran down the stairs, only to find Corvo sharing a drink with Percy’s sister, Cassandra.  “Cass.  I see you’ve met Emily’s father.”

Cassandra for her part nodded as she took a measured sip from her glass.  “I have.  Lord Attano has already told me how he got inside, and that he’s only here for Emily.  If only all assassins were half as kind and good mannered.”  Corvo chuckled quietly at that while Cassandra gave him a light if tight smile.

“I apologize for not announcing myself Lady De Rolo.  I had no idea if she had found allies or not since….arriving in this place.”  He gingerly offered in response as he glanced towards Percy and the motley assortment of allies he had at his back.  He raised an eyebrow as he swept his gaze from one face to the next, but said nothing as he took a second sip of his glass before setting it down.  “Now that you’re feeling secure with your entire group at your back, how about we get underway?”

“Y-yes of course.  Uh, this way.”  Percy replied and gestured towards the doors that would lead them out of the castle.  The silent message, even if Corvo hadn't made any overt hostile gestures, had been heard loud and clear by Percy with how easily Corvo had charmed his sister, in his own fashion at least.  He doubted Cassandra trusted Corvo by any means, only that he'd found her having a perfectly civil conversation with the man.  It didn't help that his, and by extension, Vax’s, unease wasn’t helped by the knowledge that they had already seen Corvo’s skill with a blade first hand.  While they were far more powerful together, Percy knew better than to underestimate a man so obviously driven to be reunited with his family, given his personal experiences.  But as to how they were going to explain what had occurred yesterday, and survive the reprisal that would likely follow, Percy had no idea.

It wasn’t until they left Castle Whitestone’s large cliff face and walked around its perimeter that Corvo finally spoke, his head bowed as the De Rolo cemetery began to take shape far ahead of them through the morning mists.  “Was it quick at least?”  The softly spoken question was met with a number of solemn nods and uneasy glances.

“She….she likely saved our lives.”  Keyleth spoke up at last as she reluctantly nodded her head, her face grave and her green eyes turned to the ground as they made their slow way towards the cemetery.  “I don’t know what happened, only that she was there with us one minute, fighting this assassin we’d been trying to stop, the next she and the assassin were gone.”  Vax’s arm falling across her shoulders was the only thing that kept her from curling into a small ball again as unshed tears began to fill her eyes.

“We’ll tell you everything we can, but in the week and a half we’ve known her, she’s earned a special place with our group, Lord Attano.  So much so we don’t plan to let her death be the end of her life.  It’ll….be easier to show you, but if it works, she’ll come back exactly as you know her.”  Percy offered as gently as he could.

He didn’t blame the doubt he could see on the elder assassin’s face.  “How?”  He growled out as he tried very hard not to break down in front of so many strangers.

“A friend of ours can work miracles, true miracles.  But don’t take our word for it.  Let us prove we’re as capable as I’ve claimed.”  Extending his arm towards their destination, Percy let Corvo pass before falling in behind him, his hands folded neatly behind his back.  It was just as well because Percy didn’t want him to see how he nervously wrung his hands behind his back.  He sincerely hoped this worked, because he dreaded to know what Corvo might do if Pike couldn’t pull off another revival ritual.

Percy’s stomach dropped when Pike, as if his thoughts had summoned her, called out to him through the earring.  “We uh….might have a problem.  Get here,  _ now _ .”  She tersely whispered right before a surprised yelp escaped her.

Percy didn’t need to say a word as they blasted past a startled Corvo who wasted no time in running after them.  Unsurprisingly, Vax was the first through the door, with Corvo, Percy, and Vex right behind him.  As such, he was the first to see Pike, unconscious with a good sized knot on the back of her head, with two people standing over her.  Daggers left his hands in the next instant, but just as quickly, something….happened as the taller individual’s hand started to glow.

Only Corvo saw what happened next as his own dagger caught the downward stroke of their assailant’s blade in the next instant, the world having gone dark and gray.  The little amused half smirk on the man’s face was all too familiar to the Royal Protector.  “I see you haven’t slowed down despite all these years, eh Corvo?”  Leaning into what little light fell through the open door, Corvo’s eyes widened slightly when he saw the scarred face mere inches from his own.

“Daud.”  Growled a startled Corvo as they separated.  “How in the Void are you here?!”

“The same way you are Corvo, a visit from someone calling herself the Raven Queen.”  Despite the cramped quarters, Daud was all too happy to keep fighting as he forced Corvo back a step the next moment, his blade flashing in the gray tint that always followed Bend Time’s activation.  He frowned though because, despite the fact Corvo was keeping up with his dagger, there’d been no sorcery from the man.  No flashes of his marked hand.  “What’s the matter, finally stopped using the Outsider’s Mark?”  Daud sneered as their blades locked again.

“Delilah took it from me.”  Corvo retorted before slamming his forehead against his counterpart’s nose.  It was just as effective as his admittance of having lost his powers as Daud fell back and held up a hand, leaning against the side of the stone dias in the center of the otherwise dark chamber, bearing a statue of a familiar raven adorned woman against the back wall.  As much pain as Daud had given to him, Corvo didn’t follow through with his attack as he instead sheathed his dagger, just as time resumed its normal flow.  Holding up a hand to forestall any further attacks, he didn’t wait for them to agree, or for Daud’s partner to acknowledge their change of position.  “The only reason why I’m not killing you, yet  _ again _ , is because if we’re all here, then she wanted us here for the same reason.”  It was only then that he dared look to the body on the stone dais.

It was about that time Daud and his masked partner also let their gazes follow Corvo’s own, and it was his partner that let a gasp escape her throat.  Daud remained silent, but he too was just as surprised as anyone.  Despite their past associations, Corvo was surprised to see honest regret and sympathy on Daud’s scarred face as he slowly stood to his feet, straightening his long red coat while his partner pulled her mask off before throwing it down at her feet.  “What happened?  I just saw her only about two weeks ago!”  The dark skinned woman shouted to the nearest of the group behind Corvo.

“Daud, the Knife of Dunwall himself.”  Percy began, earning surprised glances from Corvo, the woman, and Daud who only smirked thinly at being recognized despite his abject surprise at seeing Emily on the stone slab.  “Corvo Attanno, the Royal Protector.  And Billie Lurk, Daud’s second in command, and one of the team that killed Jessamine Kaldwin.”

“She told you I take it.”  Billie stated and nodded her head towards Emily, who looked to be peacefully, blissfully asleep save for the simple fact her chest didn’t move.

“She told us enough.”  Percy replied, not about to get into the details regarding her log book, not here.  “But if you’re all here, then that means we can’t revive Emily, because we don’t have a strong enough connection to her.  But you three, who have shaped her life in so many ways, might have a chance.”

“How?”  Corvo was the first to ask, while Daud merely rolled his eyes.

“She’s cold as the stone she’s on Corvo.  You’re wasting our time if you think you-”

“Daud, shut up.”  Billie’s growled comment silenced Daud on the spot as she pulled a small vial from the confines of her dark brown long coat before waving it around in front of Pike’s nose.  She gave a start, but was quick to recover as Billie held out a hand to her.  “Sorry about the bump to the head.  And Daud, we’ve used sorcery for most of our lives, provided by you I might add thanks to your Mark from that black eyed bastard, and now we’ve walked across worlds.  If they say there’s a way to bring Emily back, I’m not going to argue the point.”

“Good because you just brought around the one person who might be able to do it.  Pike?”  Vax said before putting a hand on her shoulder.  “Is there anything else we need to do?”  He asked, his gaze never leaving Billie or Daud’s faces for a moment.

“N-no, I wasn’t interrupted until after I had set everything down.  We just need the three offerings, just like we’ve done many times before.”  Pike replied as she put a hand to the back of her head, which she used to heal the bump she’d gotten from Billie who took a step back at the soft golden glow around Pike’s fingers.  “Too many times if you ask me.”

“What do you need from us?”  Corvo asked gently, having since moved to Emily’s side, his hands having since found her left, which he squeezed tenderly between his own.

“Well,” Pike began as she dusted herself off, “every revival ritual we’ve done like this requires three different sacrifices from those that know the person being revived.  The more meaningful and stronger the connection, the greater the chance of success.  The first phase however, is one I have to do alone, but after that, I’ll signal for you to step forward and offer up what words or items you deem appropriate for the ritual.”

“What do you have to do exactly?”  Billie asked as she hesitantly joined Corvo by Emily’s side.  While she didn’t touch her, the younger assassin still looked quite shaken up by the sight of the Empress laid out like she was, especially since the last time she’d seen her, Billie had gotten her back into Dunwall without Delilah being the wiser of their presence.  Not only that, but she had admitted to Emily her involvement in her mother’s murder.  While it was entirely too soon and really, pretty crazy to even consider, Billie couldn’t help but hold out hope that if this worked, whatever debt that remained between them might be paid off at last.  Emily might not ever forget her part in her mother’s assassination, but Billie could deal with that, so long as this impossible feat was achieved.

Folding her hands in front of her, while keeping her own counsel regarding what she could see on the woman’s face, Pike stepped closer to her friends before answering the question.  “I’ll have to locate and convince her soul to return, to even begin trying to restore her.  If that doesn’t work, or she’s beyond my reach, I won’t be able to try again until much later.  And the more time passes, the harder it’ll be to do it later, if it doesn’t become impossible first.”

“I still say you’re insane.”  Daud muttered, breaking his silence at last, but he merely shrugged as he leaned his back against the wall.  “But if you really think this can work, I won’t stop you.  Besides Lurk, you aren’t the only one that wants to have a few words with the girl we both knew once upon a time.  So like the old man said,” he nodded his head towards Corvo while he ignored the surprise on Billie’s face at having her intentions so easily read, “what do you need from us?”

* * *

How long had she been here?  She didn’t know, there was no time here in the lightless gray, cold, vast empty space she was trapped in.  Trapped wasn’t even the right word since she could move around all she liked, but there was nowhere to go.  There was just….a vast emptiness in every direction.  She knew where she was, he had made that abundantly clear when she had appeared on one of his stone platforms what felt like a lifetime ago now, but unlike the times she’d been here before, she knew she wouldn’t be getting away again.  She’d be trapped here until she faded away, emptied out of everything that made her who she was.  That….that alone made the eventual oblivion she faced all that more terrifying to Emily, but there was little point in fighting it now.

There was no point in fighting anymore.  She was dead.  She’d taken the Outsider’s assassin down with her, a woman she had yet to see since waking up alone on her own little island, but Emily knew she was here, somewhere.  They’d both done the same thing after all, accepted the Outsider’s gift of power, so it only made sense she’d be in the same boat as Emily.  But she felt no ill will towards the bard, despite the suffering she had nearly brought to so many innocent people.  This, being trapped in the gray, lightless Void, with its cold, piercing wind and with nothing in every direction save for more of the same gray, colorless sky that wasn’t really a sky?  What worse punishment could there be than this?

“Enjoying the accommodations, Emily?”  Emily didn’t look at him, she didn’t even acknowledge his presence as the Outsider appeared on the edge of her own little island.  He mock frowned when she made no move to react to him, but she could care less what he thought about much of anything now.  He merely grinned darkly as he appeared in a swirling cloud of ash and stone shards, his arms folded behind his back.  “It seems you’ve taken on the same traits as those fools that call themselves heroes, except you’re on the other side of one of their pyrrhic victories.  You killed my assassin, but you lost your own life in the process.  It doesn’t matter, there are a thousand different people who will happily pick up where my bard left off.”

Still she didn’t respond, didn’t move an inch.  But she still saw the way his mock frown turned into an actual frown as his eyes, already as black as the Void he served, darkened further.  “I know you’re still in there.  Ignore me all you want, but we have the rest of eternity to spend together, you and I.  Even when you eventually fade into nothing, with no knowledge of who you once were or where you came from, you’ll still be here, as will I.  But you won’t be alone for long.”  He chuckled as he disappeared from sight, leaving her be for now.

While she knew he could likely still see and hear her just fine, even though he was no longer physically present, Emily still breathed a little easier once he had left.  She was still thoroughly downtrodden and hopeless, but she’d take what little comfort she could get at this point.  Vox Machina knew what they were up against now, that had to count for something.  They’d be better prepared in the future, she had to believe that.  The alternative was….not worth thinking about.

Yet still she lowered her head in a sudden tinge of despair.  All around her was the Outsider’s realm, the Void, utter nothingness, cold and unforgiving. Not exactly how she had envisioned her afterlife, even though the Abbey had often preached about this very place many times throughout her life.  However, her eyes saw something she did not expect.  Something that shouldn’t have been here, especially since merely glancing at it told her it was….different, and not of the Void.

Right in front of her feet was a single black feather.  She crouched down and took the feather between her fingers, and unlike anything else in this place, it felt… warm.  Like more than mere nothingness, like a connection to life itself.  As she lifted the feather up to look at it more closely, she heard the beating of wings behind her, but when she turned there was no creature in sight.  That wasn’t saying much, but still she walked to the edge of her island of stone, and nearly jumped back when stone formed just ahead of her feet.  Tentatively putting her foot on the new pathway, and finding it solid as the ground she was already on, Emily lifted the feather closer to her face, before letting her hand drop to her side.

Tightening her fingers around the feather, she pressed onward.  She didn’t dare hope, but the further she went, the harder it became not to feel it bloom in her chest as she heard the raven’s wing beats off in the distance again.  Once more she followed it, this… hunt if it could be called such, reminded her of her early childhood days.  When her mother was still alive and she chased butterflies and whatever else had caught her interest.  She’d been such an imaginative little girl, Emily was sure she had been chasing pirates and dragons at some point, even if they’d all been in her head.

In a way she now felt closer to her mother than she had in a long time, which was fitting she supposed since both of them were dead.  But right now… she felt alive, truly alive.  She allowed herself to simply close her eyes and follow the raven’s cries and the sound of its wings, no longer concerned about the shifting stone beneath her feet as it continued to form a path before her.  Pretending to be young and whole again.

The warm light that flared some distance ahead of her brought Emily up short, and she opened her eyes again.  This was a true light, not like the parody of one that was behind her now that pulsed gently, dimly, as if mimicking a docile beast’s heartbeat.  The golden light ahead of her felt almost physically real, as if it had weight and substance as it called to her, beckoning her out of this lightless, cold, dead realm.

As if in a trance, Emily walked forward.  While she glanced to the right as she passed another stone island some distance away, and saw the red haired bard curled up in a little ball in the center of it, she felt little for the former assassin save a measure of pity for her blind hatred before she moved on without a second glance.  Just like her, the bard, who she didn’t even know her name, had brought this fate upon herself.  Unlike her, Emily it seemed was getting a second chance, although she wasn’t sure she deserved it.

“And it is for that reason alone,” a voice said as it cut through the shrieking wind, “that you’ll always be able to find your way out of this realm, no matter how far the Outsider would go to keep you trapped.”  If Emily had still required breath, she was certain she’d have stopped breathing altogether when a figure stepped out of the light, its right hand extended towards her.

Even without being able to see the figure’s face, cast in shadow thanks to the intensely bright light behind it, Emily knew that voice.  She would  _ always  _ know that voice.  Even if she forgot everything else that she was, that much she was sure, would always remain.  Tears came to her eyes unbidden as old wounds were reopened, memories she had thought forgotten returned, and most of them good.  Which, in a sense only, made it only more painful as she reached for the outstretched hand despite all of the emotions now swirling in her chest.

Grasping the soft, delicate hand that was so similar to her own, Emily breathed out a single, trembling word as the portal before them flared brightly, blinding her utterly.  “M-mother?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO! Where do I start? Lol. I brought most of the old crew back for this one. Corvo, Daud, the infamous Knife of Dunwall, Billie Lurk, his former second in command of the Whalers before she betrayed him and then later helped Emily as she snuck around Serkonos as she took apart Delilash's network of allies, and most important of all, Jessamine Kaldwin herself. With the Raven Queen commanding the transition between life and death, it made sense for her to have arranged a meeting for Emily as she guided her out of the Void. I know there were lot of jumping around and what have you, but as much as I tried to keep things from a single perspective, it wasn't nearly as easy as you'd think since there was so much going on with this chapter. At any rate, I hope you're still able to enjoy this chapter. Take care and look forward to the next one as things begin to be tied up. Adios!


	18. Second Chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this ought to be interesting. Have fun wondering if she lives or not. :P

**Chapter 17**

**Second Chances**

Normally, anytime she did a resurrection ritual for one of her friends, Pike had done more than be a divine conduit for the magic to flow through, for her goddess’s power to pour through if one wanted to get technical.  But then again, most of the time she was reviving one of her close and treasured friends and oftentimes, she gave something to the ritual itself to see it succeed.  Despite the fact Emily hadn’t been moved from her mental list of friends to close friends, she was all too willing to try to bring her back.  In the time she’d known her, Emily had quickly grown on Pike, and she knew the rest of Vox Machina shared that opinion with the way they watched her every movement from the edges of the small temple to the Raven Queen.

That didn’t mean she felt entirely comfortable with three,  _ three _ , very skilled and powerful assassins from a world different from their own.  Her unease was helped somewhat by the fact both Corvo and Billie, despite the latter having bashed her across the back of her skull with her sword’s hilt, didn’t give her the chills anytime she looked at them.  Daud however, was the one part of this very unusual trifecta that worried her considerably.  While he stuck to the wall he had leaned against after his short fight with Corvo, at least it’d been short to Pike’s eyes as one moment they’d been by the door and the next Daud had been holding up a hand to stop Corvo from finishing him off, she couldn’t help her discomfort since there was something almost inhuman about him.

He was entirely too slender and tall for her liking, while he was also powerfully built, and his face, while handsome and almost dignified in its appearance, was marred by several old scars that ran down from his forehead to his chin.  One went right over his eye, down the side of his nose, and stopped at his jaw, as if someone had dragged a knife purposely down his face.  If she were more of a betting woman, Pike would have said either he’d done it to himself, which she doubted since he seemed too….still and calm for something so blatantly insane, or someone had gotten lucky and managed to interrogate him long ago, which she found the far more likely scenario, especially with what she knew about him from Emily and Corvo both.

Whatever the case, she still had her part to play, and that was to see about getting Emily’s soul back from wherever she had wound up in the time between her actual death and now.  Taking a steadying breath, Pike looked towards Grog, who had since wisely pulled his axe and was giving Daud the stink eye, Vax, while relaxed with his back against the opposite wall looked like a spring ready to jump at the slightest sign of trouble, and Percy, who stood at the front of their group, the closest to Emily’s body and at the same time, the closest to the three assassins, and closed her eyes as her right hand grasped Sarenrae’s pendant she kept around her neck at all times.  The prayer that began to fall from her lips came easily, as it always did anymore, and while she felt Daud, Billie, and Corvo’s gaze fall on her, Pike didn’t respond to their curious looks.  She was a little preoccupied to notice as her conscious mind began to drift away from her physical shell as she began her search for Emily Kaldwin.

With Percy, she had found his soul tethered to Ripley’s gun that had housed Orthax’s essence within it.  She’d been able to sever his hold on the gunslinger by cleansing the demon from the gun before proceeding with the rest of the ritual.  Grog had been a similar case, with her breaking Craven Edge’s grip on his spirit that the cursed greatsword had tried to consume to satiate its never ending hunger.  With Emily however, she had no item to help her find her soul.  But even with her mind having drifted away into the ether, Pike could still feel a faint….pull, on her senses, before her eyes saw a thin thread of colorless energy leading away from the mark burned into Emily’s wrist.  While Pike didn’t move, her own spirit followed the thread away, towards a distant golden glow in the otherwise blank dark landscape she found herself in.

It was there she found Emily, standing next to an older, well dressed woman, her light brown hair tied up in an intricate bun.  While Emily didn’t see her, her eyes closed and her cheek pressed up against the woman’s chest, the older of the two did and nodded ever so subtly to Pike before she tightened her hug on Emily.  Pike felt terribly sad, having interrupted such a tender, unguarded moment for Emily, but she couldn’t leave until she had her answer.  Before she could begin to speak though, the older woman spoke first.  “Emily, it’s time for you to go back.  As much as I’d like to stay like this, you’re needed back home.  Your father needs you, your new allies need you, and our people need you still.”

Emily sighed but nodded as she slowly pushed away from the older woman’s chest.  Wiping at her eyes with one hand, the other remained tightly locked in the woman’s own.  “When I took your Heart to Delilah’s strange bone relic, I was so afraid I had destroyed you.  That by releasing your soul from that….thing, that there wasn’t enough left of you to-”  Pike silently watched even as she realized who it was that was once more embracing the young woman in her arms.

“I was just as much a prisoner as you were, my sweet Emily.  But I’ve found peace, because of you, and I can rest easy now because of the strong, young woman I’ve seen you become.  You might falter, you might doubt, but you’ll never be alone.  I’ll always be proud of you, Emily, no matter where life takes you from here.  But you must live, for both of our sakes.”  Letting her hands cup Emily’s face, Pike remained still and silent as the older Kaldwin left a tender kiss to her daughter’s forehead.

“Thank you...mother, and I’ll hold onto this moment for as long as I’m able.  I’ll always love you.”  Emily softly whispered as she took one shaky step back from her mother’s arms.  Slowly turning away, her head bowed but a soft smile pulling at her lips even as tears began to run down her face again, Pike didn’t move a muscle as Emily looked back only once.  “Goodbye, mother.  I’ll see you again.”

“You will, of that I have no doubt, when you’re old, gray, and have left a long, happy life behind you.”  Only once she had bid her daughter farewell did Jessamine turn her glistening brown eyes towards Pike just as Emily walked past her, just on the edge of the golden light.  “Take care of the rest.  Take care of my Emily.”

“I will, you have my word.”  Pike replied with as much sincerity as she could muster as she put a hand on Emily’s back.

While she didn’t turn around even as the light faded, taking Jessamine with it no doubt, Emily spoke to the gnome just as she had begun to pull her pendant up once more.  “How did you find me?”

“I’ll tell you once the ritual’s over.”  Pike promised before she found herself staring at Emily’s body once more, her free hand holding onto the thin, now softly glowing golden thread that only she could detect that led back to Emily’s chest instead of her hand.  “I’ve found her, she’s alright.  Now comes the tricky part.  Who’s going first?”

Billie stepped forward before Corvo could say a word, or Daud could make a move.  “I saw her last out of these two, and I have a few things I need to get off my chest anyway.”  No one made a move to stop her as Billie walked forward, and while she had no idea if Emily could hear her, wherever she was, Billie had seen too much in the last thirty minutes alone to question what it was they were trying to do now.  As such, she let her right hand, (the same hand she’d lost in a ‘past life’ although Billie didn’t know that with the way Emily had changed time itself during her bid to save Aramis and learn how Delilah had come back), fall on the young Empress’s shoulder, before beginning to speak.

“I told you I was part of the team that assaulted Dunwall Tower, and that I regretted what followed.  That entire job stunk, yet that didn’t stop me or the Big Knife from accepting it from Burrows all those years ago.  To make it worse, Delilah found me shortly afterwards, and convinced me to turn on my fellow Whalers when I was already spiraling.  Sure, I can rationalize it all I like, say Daud was going soft, that I was wanting to spit in the eye of every bastard nobleman that remotely reminded me of Abele when he killed my one and only love, but it still falls to me.  Just as your mother’s murder, even if I wasn’t the one that did the deed, was still my responsibility.  I could have stepped in, stopped Daud, or at the very least had the decency to die trying.  Instead I had a hand in it, and I have to live with that until I’m sent to the Void.”

It was here that Billie’s fingers tightened around Emily’s shoulder, and her eyes narrowed to slits.  “But guess what Empress, I might be running with Daud again, but I’m still doing my best to make amends for what I did to you and your family.  You don’t get to lay down on the job anymore, not now, not after you did the impossible and took down Delilah.  Not after you tore apart her network of allies without leaving a river of blood behind you.  I might be good at what I do, but you’re far too good and decent, especially for royalty, to let this beat you.  Don’t make me go back to Dunwall and tell Anton you let a fall from a tower stop you now.”  It was then that she bent down and picked up her old Whaler’s mask.  Running a gloved hand over the whiskered, dark brown material, made from the hide of the creature it was supposed to emulate, the one time Meaghan Foster set the mask down on Emily’s chest.  “I’m not giving up my old life just yet, but consider the mask my way of saying I’m sorry.  I’m sorry for what I did to you, all those years back, but I won’t forgive you if you don’t come back from this.”  Having said her piece, Billie looked down and away from as many people as possible as she stepped back.  That had taken a lot out of her.

When she did though, a brazier situated at the head of the dias began to smoke before a bright golden flame sprang to life.  “The offering’s been accepted I take it?”  Daud asked, to which Pike nodded her head, her hand still wrapped around Emily’s thread.  “Well, guess that means I’m next.  Sorry old man, but you're gonna have to wait.  This is between me and her.”  Pushing himself away from the wall, Daud crossed the short distance in only a few steps, his eyes fully affixed to Emily’s still face.  While Corvo glared daggers at him, Daud ignored him since he had his own business to settle with the Kaldwin girl.

Despite the almost smug smirk he’d worn since crossing blades with Corvo again, Daud was no longer smiling now as he let his hand fall to the blade at his side.  “Fifteen years ago, fate put me in the path of your mother.  Hiram Burrows, your Royal Spymaster, got it into his head to have old Jessamine Kaldwin die at the end of an assassin’s blade, so he found me, offered me and my gang the biggest payday we had ever seen.  I’ve killed noble pedophiles, law enforcers too good at their jobs, corrupt politicians, scorned mistresses, and everything in between.  Didn’t matter who was paying, so long as they did.  And yet, even before I killed her, something about that job was different.  I could feel it in my bones, and I wasn’t the only one.”  He glanced at Billie for a moment before setting his palms down on the edge of the stone dais, his gloved hands just touching Emily’s arm.  “The rest you know, now here’s the part you’ll find hard to believe.  I’ve regretted my actions ever since.  Something about killing your mother broke something in me, and that black eyed bastard knew it would.”

Corvo wasn’t the only one that jerked at the mention of the Outsider.  Daud ignored them, too caught up in his confession, and his offering to Emily’s revival, to give them much more than a passing glance.  “I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep ever since.  Oh I’m still the best hired blade you’ll ever find from Karnaca, probably the world, next to your old man, but I can still hear the sound of my knife slipping into Jessamine’s chest, hear that last shuddery breath she let out as I pulled it free.  That little jolt as the shock hit her just before I dragged you off to Burrows.  I remember everything from that day, and despite having stuck to old habits, the few bodies I’ve left in my shadow have been much fewer and farther between.”

“Is he trying to convince her to come back or for us to kill him?”  Grog whispered to Vax who only shrugged his shoulders.

Flicking his gaze up towards the goliath, Daud bit his bottom lip to stop himself from chuckling at the question he’d heard.  Instead he leaned close to Emily’s ear.  “But I want you to know, even then I could tell you were different despite having just witnessed what no girl your age should ever experience.  Despite blubbering like a stuck mudlark, there was a fire in those eyes that told me you were going to shake the Isles one day.  So you’re going to get off that stone slab, you’re going to make some fat nobleman happy, have a dozen little brats before you’re forty, and you’re going to be the best Empress that Dunwall has ever seen.  Outsider’s balls, probably the best Empress our little Empire of the Isles has ever seen.”  It was then that Daud pulled his sword free of his belt, and placed the hilt in Emily’s folded hands, the blade pointed towards her feet.  “That’s the same blade that killed your mother, Emily.  I’m gonna be wanting it back, one way or the other.”  Despite a small part of him feeling like a complete idiot at having left his sword behind like that, Daud stepped back against the wall once more, and crossed his arms just as another of the braziers flared to life.  This one however burned with a cold, dead gray light, rather than the warm golden glow from the first.

“At least he’s honest.”  Zahra, she and Kashaw having since joined the group, whispered to Keyleth as she too watched the proceedings.

“I’m finding it hard to believe he regrets anything as he claims.”  Keyleth whispered in response, but just as quickly she glanced down at her own hand.  “On the other hand, I guess we all have regrets….”  Zahra’s tail wrapped around her waist then, and the druid didn’t fight as the tiefling pulled her against her side, her arm gently wrapping around her waist.

Corvo, having watched all this from Emily’s side, was momentarily taken aback by Daud’s actions.  Sure, Corvo had been surprised by his pleading for his life when he’d caught up to the assassin and beaten him down, but to have Daud confess to it and seem genuinely regretful, that was something else.  It seemed the Outsider’d been right, in his way, about him not asking Daud just what he’d been feeling in regards to what he’d done to Jessamine.  Corvo hadn’t thought to ask, and he should have, looking back, especially now that he’d been hit in the face with it all over again.  But it didn’t matter now.  It was done, and looking back only led to more heartache and regret.  What mattered was that things had changed, they had all changed in their respective ways, and if someone like Daud could try to seek redemption, then who was Corvo to say he couldn’t?  Besides, he’d let him go, and he had much more reason than most to have wanted Daud dead fifteen years ago.

More importantly though, Daud had come here, and while having expressed abject disbelief at what they were trying to accomplish, he had taken part in the ritual with the same genuine sincerity as Billie had displayed already.  As such, Corvo was more determined than ever to get through this as he placed his hand over Emily’s, which were still loosely wrapped around Daud’s blade.  They were too cold, too….lifeless.  Even admitting that much at all made Corvo look away from his daughter’s face as a single lone tear fell down his stubble covered face.

"Emily..." He paused and inhaled heavily before he forced himself to look at her fully.  "Emily... I can't tell you how much it hurts me to see you in this state.  Even though I know that your new friends, and old….acquaintances,” Daud chuckled once at the term while Billie harrumphed softly from the corner, “are attempting to revive you, I cannot help but feel an inextinguishable sadness within me as I look upon you, my beloved girl.  The last time I felt so powerless was when I failed to save your mother's life, and you were taken from me.  This feeling only lessened once I held you securely once more.  It’s a similar feeling, only that I can do nothing to help you myself.  All of my skills are for naught in this undertaking.  Emily, I beg you, return to me, please."  Only then did Corvo use his free hand to dig about in the confines of his jacket.  He hesitated, if only for a moment, to pull out the same pocketwatch he’d looked at before making the jump through the portal that had brought him here.  “Your mother gave me this...shortly after we made what vows we could to each other.  I understood, even then, she could never publically accept me since I was a boy from the slums of Serkonos, from a no name family born in Karnaca’s Dust District.  I didn’t care, even though there were days I wanted to shout my love for her from the rooftops.  That feeling only increased when you were born to us, but I kept my silence, as did she.  You were smart enough to figure it out though, shortly after everything was said and done fifteen years ago.”  Tenderly wrapping the gold chain around Emily’s fingers of her left hand, Corvo didn’t wipe away the tears from his dark brown eyes as he bowed his head.  “Don’t make me live the rest of my life alone, Emily.  I’ve lost too many people, and I didn’t have many in the first place.  The Old Duke that was like the father I never knew, the old Emperor, Euhorn Kaldwin, the former Royal Protector, Beatrix, the same woman that trained me for the job, your mother….don’t make me add you to that list.”

He didn’t see it as he slowly took a step away, letting his hand slowly fall away from Emily’s, but the brazier behind him flared to life, casting the back wall with an eerie if strangely comforting purple glow.  The wings of a great black bird as the flame appeared only Vax saw, but he knew what it meant.  It seemed the Raven Queen was giving a bit of her divine aid to the resurrection.  Now came the real tense part of every ritual he’d been a part of, waiting to see if their earnest pleas were heard, and if the person they were trying to bring back returned to them.

A moment passed.  Nothing.  The braziers slowly began to die down, and yet nothing happened.  “Is she-”  Taryon began to ask, when someone’s heavy boot stomped down on his foot.  He grunted but otherwise kept his mouth shut.  Silence fell then, no one dared move or even breathe too loudly as they waited for some sign that the ritual had succeeded.

The loud inhale broke the silence as Emily’s chest slowly rose and fell, and color began to return to her skin.  While her eyes remained closed, she was smiling softly as Corvo all but jumped to her side.  Daud remained where he was against the wall, but for a moment his mask fell and he allowed himself a wide, genuinely warm smile at the impossible sight that was playing out in front of him.  Billie wasn’t so controlled as she took up a spot on Emily’s right side.  “Welcome back your Highness.”

“Hate it….when you call me that.”  Emily replied softly, tiredly, and blinked slowly as her vision slowly cleared up and she saw everyone standing so close at hand.  Finding Pike’s platinum blonde head of hair as she pushed her way to the front, Emily grasped the gnome’s arm as firmly as she could.  “I heard you…..you came for me.”

“Well of course I did.”  Pike replied and grasped the hand on her arm.  “You’re a part of the family.  I thought the earring would have given that away?”  The tired but light laugh that got out of her had a much relieved laugh echo through the closest of the group moments later.

“Thank you….Pike.”  Emily’s hand fell from Pike’s arm as she slowly brought it back to her chest, just as Corvo’s rough, callous covered fingers grasped them gingerly in his own.  “I heard you...all of you.”  She said, earning an uncomfortable cough from Daud while Billie’s dark cheeks turned a little darker.

“I was hoping you missed some of that honestly.”  Billie replied, but smiled despite herself.  “I’m glad it worked at least.”

“I’ll second that.”  Percy called out from the small crowd still by the door.  “You’re going to be alright, but I’d take it easy for the rest of the day, two at the most.  Trust me I’ve been there.  Being killed by Orthax was...an unpleasant experience, but that was awhile ago now.”

“At least now I know you weren’t kidding when you said most of you had died at one point or another.”  Emily groaned as she began to sit up, only to stop and stare at the collection of items laid out across her chest.  Daud’s sword and Billie’s mask were what caught her eye first, before she jerked her head towards the assassin leaning against the wall.  Her gaze narrowed to slits when she recognized that face, and despite the sheer exhaustion that made things difficult for the moment, she found strength enough to grip the sword’s hilt in hand as she pushed past Corvo to stalk towards Daud.  “Fifteen years.  Fifteen years and you come back, now, of all times.”

Despite the blade’s edge just against his throat, Daud made no move to fight his way free.  They both knew he could, and while he appreciated Corvo holding the others back for now, Daud couldn’t help the little shudder at seeing such similarities between Emily and Jessamine.  That same defiant look in the eye didn’t help, even as it had faded from her mother’s face when he’d stabbed her.  “I took a chance, knowing this might be the outcome.”  Was all he said in response to her barely contained rage and pain.  “I know you may never forgive me, and I don’t deserve it, but as I asked your father once before, I ask that you spare my life, such as it is.”

“Fuck that, I say kill the bastard.”  Grog rumbled, and while he was hardly the only one thinking it, he was the only one willing to say it out loud.  “Hells, I’d do it myself ya let me.”  He brought his great axe up a bit for emphasis, not that it was necessary with the rather wide, feral grin on his face.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but while he might have wronged you, Emily,” Keyleth began as she took a step closer to the pair as she did her best to peek past Corvo’s rather large frame, “he came here to make things right.  I know that doesn’t say much, not if what he confessed to and you’ve told us is anything to go by, but he came a very long way, knowing full well he might not get out of here.  And coming from me it probably means less since I was right where you are when it came to Raishan, but he’s actually remorseful.”

“Let her choose on her own or not at all.”  Billie’s declaration silenced whatever else might have come from the group as she merely turned her head to regard them.  “Don’t get me wrong, you’re just doin’ what you think is right, but this doesn’t concern you.  This is something they need to work out.”

“Except it became  _ our  _ problem when we accepted her into our lives.”  Vax countered, his arms still crossed as he met Billie’s unwavering gaze from across the room.  The chorus of agreement from most of his long time friends, his family, made him smile briefly as he stepped closer as well, backing up Keyleth as he squeezed her shoulder, but he just kept walking until he was standing next to Corvo.  “But I agree with Billie, Ems.  This is your choice since this involves your family, not ours, I only ask that you keep in mind how far you’ve come since you’ve been with us.”

Emily grimaced as she looked over her shoulder for just a moment to look at them all, gathered behind her, waiting for her decision.  While they didn’t know it, she had let go of her desire to see Daud dead at her feet almost the instant she had gotten up in his face, scattering Billie’s mask and the pocketwatch that had been on her chest to the ground.  That didn’t change the fact she had wanted to hurt him though, but just as quickly she too had come to the same, unspoken realization as her father had.

The sword fell, clattering to the ground as her hand fell to her side.  Daud didn’t breathe easier, not until Emily stepped away and turned her back to him.  “You took away nearly everything from me, Daud.  I’m not the same little girl anymore, you saw to that at the behest of the traitor Burrows.  I still remember everything from that day as well.  I mourn for her, every year on that exact day, as I’ve done  _ fifteen  _ years now.”  As much as she wanted to hate him, Emily could only sigh and let her head hang as Corvo wrapped his arm around her shoulders.  “You deserve every sleepless night you’ve had…..”

“I know, but the world doesn’t punish the wicked.  You and I both know that.”  Daud softly stated from behind her before kneeling down to pick up his sword before slowly putting it back into its sheath at his side.

“Get out of here Daud.  Just go….and don’t let me catch you in Dunwall,  _ ever  _ again.”  Emily didn’t see the little nod Daud gave to her back as he disappeared, Blinking past and out the door without a word.

Billie didn’t leave right away, but she did step up to Corvo and Emily before gently grasping her arm.  “Take care of yourself Emily.  Lord Protector.”

“Lurk.  Thanks for coming, for aiding in this.”  Corvo replied and nodded his head towards the woman.

“You too...Billie.”  Billie smiled a little at the almost tender response from the Empress.  “You….you’d be welcome in Dunwall still, since you did a lot to help me when I had nothing.”

“Thanks, I might even take you up on that when all this is said and done.”  And just like that, Billie too disappeared from sight, transversing her way past the entirety of Vox Machina without another word.

Whatever berserk energy had been keeping Emily upright faded as the last of Billie’s form faded away, and Corvo found himself holding onto her unconscious body.  He looked worriedly towards the others, but Vax’s reassuring smile and little nod said he had nothing to worry about.  “We’ve all been here, she’ll be fine with some rest.”

“Alright.”  Glancing towards the dais, where the mask and his watch had fallen to the ground, Corvo wasn’t surprised to see that the mask was gone.  His pocketwatch though was once more resting on the dais’s edge.  He left it there, far too concerned with Emily at the moment, but he made a quick note to collect it later as Vax and Zahra fell in step beside him, with the rest of the motley crew Emily had somehow found bringing up the rear.  “I get the feeling there’s a very interesting story here.”  He offered, smiling widely now that he had his little girl back and safe in his arms.

“Oh you have no idea.”  Zahra offered mysteriously, but despite the pointy teeth smile she gave him, Corvo huffed in quiet amusement at the veiled message in her voice.

It didn’t take long, despite carrying Emily’s unconscious body up to the castle, to find a place for her to rest for however long she required.  Corvo stuck by her side, a shadow on the wall for all intents and purposes as he took up a chair by the only window in the room.  Today had been one hell of a day.  Leaning his head back against the stone wall, he couldn’t help the feeling of deja vu as he remembered the almost countless times he’d done this before, just watched Emily sleep after he had saved her fifteen years ago.  It had helped with his own insomnia after his time in Coldridge Prison, to be so close to his little girl despite the rather uncomfortable position he had often fallen asleep in.  How he had never fallen out of the chair he usually passed out in he never knew, only that in those days, he had never hit the ground, no matter how deep or troubled his sleep became in those days.

And when the door slowly, near silently opened, Corvo didn’t jerk or jump to his feet as the red skinned woman slowly stepped inside, a tray of food perfectly balanced in one hand.  “Damn, and here I thought I was being quiet.”  She mused, disappointed at having woken him up he guessed, but she was still smirking a little despite having done so as she gently shut the door behind her, a long, serpentine tail making it an easy task.

“You were.” Corvo assured her calmly despite the fact he was seeing his first tiefling.  He’d seen stranger than her.  “But I am a light sleeper… part of my trade.”  The subtle quirk of his lips made it clear he was joking, if only a little, despite the fact he was also being dead serious at the same time.  It lightened the mood considerably though as he stood and accepted the offered tray with a grateful nod.  “Thanks, you didn’t have to do that though.”

“Oh it wasn’t for you.”  Zahra replied, and chuckled as Corvo gave her a curious glance over his shoulder as he set the tray on Emily’s desk.  “It was for both of you, for whenever she woke up.”

“Ah, I see.  I’ll try not to eat it all then.”  Corvo crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side, his little smirk widening a little at their playful banter.  It felt good, to just talk like this.  Far too often he’d been unable to just have a normal conversation without someone wanting to wrangle favors from him or his daughter.  True, these people seemed to know who and what they were, but he had already gotten the impression that they didn’t give a damn.  As such, he let his little smirk disappear, his face turning grave.  “I don’t know how to begin to process what I saw today, and I’ve seen a lot in my time as the Royal Protector to my own daughter.”

Zahra understood all too well what he meant since this had been only her second ritual resurrection she’d been a part of, either as an active participant or an outside observer.  “I understand, believe me I do, and I’ve been a part of this world my entire life.”  Zahra replied and sighed heavily as her softly glowing eyes turned to Emily’s truly sleeping face.  “I’ve only seen it done twice throughout my life, and both times was because of those lovable buffoons downstairs.  I even offered up my gemstone to my staff for the first one, which brought back Vex I might add, the prettier one of the half elven twins before you ask.  Long story that one, but suffice it to say, this could have gone another way entirely.  So my advice is this.  Hold onto her.”

Corvo nodded and looked towards Emily’s face.  “I had already planned on it.”

“Then you’ve nothing to fear.”  Zahra said and smiled softly, warmly, at the pair and the near palpable love she could feel between them.  “She spoke often of you, Lord Attano.  It’s clear to me and the rest of the group that you’ve done a lot to make her into the woman she is today.”

“Not to be rude,” Corvo began while he managed, barely, to keep how truly grateful he felt to hear this near complete stranger say as much to him, only to receive a quiet chuckle and a knowing grin in response.

“But you want to know what I am, yes?”

“Yes.”

“It’s quite alright, you’d hardly be the first person to ask, since tieflings aren’t common in certain parts of the world.”

“Tiefling….” He repeated, letting the word fall from his mouth as if to weigh it for himself.  “You certainly stand out, I’ll say that.”  He grinned briefly, his arms crossed as he nodded his head towards the red skinned woman.

Zahra laughed outright before having to bite her tongue lest she wake Emily from her restorative slumber.  “Hah.  That’s one way to say it I suppose.  You’re not as scary as I thought you’d be, with what little I know about you I mean.  But if what I saw of your daughter’s ability is anything to go by, she had a very gifted teacher.”

It was Corvo’s turn to chuckle softly and let his head fall as his lips pulled up into a full smile this time.  “I used to be the best blade in my hometown of Karnaca.  I won the Blade Verbena when I was only sixteen years old.  I beat men two times my senior, but I was so full of myself in those days.  But time spent with the old Duke of Serkonos, as a captain of his Grand Guard, taught me that I was hardly the best.  I was just a snot nosed kid that had his world turned upside down when he realized that the world was a lot bigger than the back alleys where I had honed my skill, fighting ruffians and gang members.  That I would then, two years later, end up as an initiate for a chance, a slim chance at that, to be a Royal Protector, I never believed possible until it happened.”

“And so the sordid love affair began.”  Despite the teasing note in Zahra’s voice, there was no malice or disdain on her face.  “Yet here you are.”

“And yet here I am.”  Corvo replied, following her gaze to Emily’s face once more.  “Jessamine might be gone, but I still have Emily.  While I’d never want to go through that again, I’m glad she’s found you and that group that have taken care of her when I couldn’t be there.  But really, she didn’t need me, did she?”

“She might not need you to protect her per se,” Zahra agreed before just as quickly adding, “but she’ll always need her father.”

Clearing his throat, Corvo nodded his thanks before Zahra slowly turned away and started for the door.  He watched her go, until he couldn’t see her face any longer as the wooden barrier closed at her back nearly as softly as she had opened it originally.  Only once the tiefling had disappeared did Corvo turn and smile when he saw Emily staring up at him, a half smirk evident on her face.  “Don’t you say a word.”

“I wasn’t going to say a thing, father.”  She replied, looking quite smugly up at him as he pulled at the neckline of his undershirt.  “She has that effect on everyone I’ve noticed.  Should I have her moved into Dunwall Tower now or after the eventual nuptials?”

“You’re enjoying this way too much.”  Corvo chuckled as he sat down at her side, his hand automatically finding hers.  She squeezed the fingers that found her hand and sighed in contentment, just enjoying the moment after their time apart.  “I think I lost ten years off of my life, seeing you-”  He didn’t get a chance to finish as Emily shot up in bed and hugged him tightly.  Corvo didn’t speak further, there was no need after all they’d been through in recent months.

Corvo or Emily couldn’t have said how long they remained like that as tears silently fell down both of their faces, but it was needed for both of them.  No words were said as they conveyed all they needed to until they eventually, slowly parted some time later.  They chuckled then as Emily started to raise her hand to brush away her father’s tears only to have her hand caught in his once more.  Patting her hand, he slowly got to his feet, went to the writing desk, and picked up the tray before turning to set it on her lap.  “Eat.”

“Yes father.”  She didn’t argue, and even smiled up towards the man that she had the profound honor to call her father.  She couldn’t help but roll her eyes though when he sat down in the chair and crossed his arms, making it abundantly clear he was going to sit there and watch her until the tray was empty.  That didn’t mean she couldn’t keep a conversation going as she ate.  “I take it things are going well back home?”

“They’re on the mend, but the work ahead is far from done.”  Corvo replied, only then seeing the strange if pretty earring hanging from his daughter’s ear.  “I thought you’d never get your ears pierced.  I remember the last time someone offered to do it, you flatly refused.”

“That’s the kind way to say it.”  Emily replied, her eyes gleaming as she chuckled into her food.  The incident in question had wound up with the offender, who hadn’t taken her refusal at face value, punched in the jaw when he had tried to poke a hole in her ear, saying her mother’s diamond earrings would have looked good with the ridiculous outfit someone had recommended for that year’s Fugue Feast.  Needless to say, the idiot man had been given the boot, and Emily had gone to the ball feeling strangely satisfied for having exerted her power in such an unladylike manner.  Corvo remembered the occasion as well and gladly shared the levity after their much heavier moment earlier.  It was just as well though because what she had to ask next wasn’t easy for her.  “I saw….what was left when I returned to Dunwall, father.  You were there after, how are things, really?”

“I meant what I said, Emily.”  Corvo said as he leaned forward.  “There’s still a long road, but what I didn’t say is that the people are recovering quickly.  Ironically, the black market merchants that have popped up in Dunwall have been doing a lot to help with that, although it helps you made such a lasting impression along the way.  I can’t count the number of times I heard people mention the speech you made through the Tower’s public address system.  But both Dunwall and Karnaca are going to be alright, because of you.”

“That’s good.  But it wasn’t just me.  For all of my skill, for everything you taught me, I couldn’t have done it alone.”  Corvo nodded, not about to argue the point since he was just glad she was alright despite having undergone much of the same thing he had.  That, and it made him proud to know she had come out the stronger for it, as was evident as she looked towards her hand, to the mark still emblazoned on her wrist.  “I can’t leave yet.  There’s still some things I have to do here before I can.”

“I’ll keep the city going, for however long you need, Emily.”  While he had no idea how he was going to get back home, how either of them would get back home, he wasn’t going to worry about it now.  He had his daughter back.  He had his family back.  That was more than enough for him.  Tomorrow would see to itself.  Today he was content to just sit there in his chair and just take a measure of comfort from the knowledge that right then, everything was fine.  A little smirk appeared on his face though, which caught Emily’s attention as she looked up and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.  “I just realized, I’m going to have to meet your new allies.  I am still your Royal Protector after all.”

“A Royal Protector or an overprotective father?”  She retorted, but despite the utter embarrassment he’d likely submit her to in the near future, especially once he learned about Vex’s...apology, Emily was all smiles as she snorted and shook her head.  He had no idea what he was in for with Vox Machina and their antics that she had come to appreciate and love, in her way.  She sincerely hoped he would as well in whatever came next from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol okay, so it was pretty obvious that she'd be alright. Still, that was a hell of a chapter. Things will settle down for now, but there's still one last thing Emily feels she needs to take care of before she can go home. I'm sure you guys remember what that is given when this is set. Hehe. Next stop, the Nine Hells! This ought to be fun. Having said that, I might not do the Outsider's fall until the sequel to this, if he dies at all of course, but he's far from forgotten, trust me. Besides, I still have some smut to write yet, and if you guys have any recommendations for future pairings, feel free to leave a comment to that effect. :D But seriously, I sincerely hope I haven't offended my fans or anything at any point, and that you guys are still enjoying yourselves as this continues to unfold. Take care and have a good one everyone. Peace!


	19. On The Mend

**Author’s Note:**  I’ve never forgotten this story, but between an unexpected trailer for the Dishonored 2 ‘DLC’, Death of the Outsider, not two weeks after the last update where we all but stated we’d kill him before this little story was over, (which legitimately freaked me out at the time lol, silly I know but that’s how it was), and a lot of RL stuff that came up shortly after, this story got unfortunately pushed to the wayside.  But now that things are slowly getting better, I’m hoping to at least get this started again and to eventually finish it, along with a couple of other ideas I have going with Nomad-117.  Take care though guys and gals and I’ll hopefully get this finished soonish.  See ya!

**Chapter 18**

**On The Mend**

The rest of the day was spent with Corvo meeting Emily’s new companions, while the Empress tried not to burst into flames from abject embarrassment as her father was exposed to the same general insanity she’d been a part of since waking up in this world.  No easy feat, but despite all of the various stories that were soon shared, minus one she was glad Vex kept to herself, Emily couldn’t help but smile and laugh at the happy times they’d had already.  Even those that hadn’t ended on a particularly high note, such as the incident in Keyleth’s home and the like, Emily couldn’t help but smile at the struggle Corvo put on in an ultimately futile effort to keep his neutral mask up for as long as possible.

She suspected the fact he’d made a bet against Vex had something to do with his stone faced expression that ended up crumbling when Vax regaled them with their little ‘drinking contest’.  By the end of it, Corvo was chuckling gruffly into his mug of ale, Emily was beat red in the face, and the rest of her new friends were laughing uproariously into their food and drink.  “And this Sand Keg’s made from the venom of a giant scorpion.  Here I thought I taught you better Emily.”  He said once he’d gotten himself under control as he glanced towards his daughter who sat across from him at the long table.

“I was just as surprised to find out what it was as you were, father.”  Emily admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.  “I did insinuate the possibility they were trying to poison me though.”

“She did at that.”  Vax admitted as he too chuckled less than softly into his cup before taking a sip.  “But we don’t make it a habit of poisoning new acquaintances, and regicide’s reserved for very special occasions anyway.”

“That’s a story and a half, brother, but not one I think Lord Atta-”  Vex cut in before he could get any further into their previous adventures against the various, so called royals they’d killed during their time together on the road.

“I think we’ve gone a bit past proprietary Vex’ahlia.”  Corvo cut in as a slightly lopsided smirk pulled at his handsomely sunken face, which widened a little when Vex perked up at his having gotten her name right so quickly.  “She’s not the only one who picks up names quickly, Vex.”  He answered, only to playfully wince when Emily used her Far Reach to grasp ahold of the picture Taryon had made of her upon her arrival, the tendril snaking its way beneath her father’s dark overcoat.

“He also likes to stack the deck.”  Was her answer to the amused glances from those around them as Corvo allowed the picture to be pulled away from his coat.

“Good to know.”  Percy chimed in, but was quick to hold up a hand to forestall any further antics from either of their guests.  “But it’s not a surprise, given your respective skillsets, let alone where she learned them from, Lord Attano.”  He shrugged when Corvo raised an eyebrow at Percy’s insistence in sticking to his proper title.  “You might not have been born into nobility, but I merely do so out of respect, good sir.  A man of your accomplishments deserve nothing less.”

“Fair enough Lord De Rolo.”  Corvo relented kindly before taking another sip and giving an approving noise in response.  “If you were anyone else, I’d wonder what you were really after.”

“But considering we just saved your girl and our friend,” Pike cut in, only pushing forward once Corvo glanced her way, “you’re willing to go out on a little faith.”

“Something like that.”  Corvo replied but couldn’t have kept the smile from his face if he’d tried.  “I’ll admit, I’m still having trouble believing what I’ve seen.”

“You’re not the only one.”  Emily softly agreed.

In typical Grog fashion, the goliath shrugged massive shoulders and said, “Then don’t think a’bout it.”  When both mystic assassins glanced towards Grog, the half giant continued, “Just be glad you’re alive and well and let it go at that.”

“He’s got a point good sir!”  Taryon chimed in while Pike simply smiled and shrugged in agreement.  “Also, let me be the first to actually say that I’m glad you’re back and that I’m hoping for a rematch, Emily.”

“Not today I’m sorry to say, I’m barely upright as it is.”  Emily replied as she yawned as covertly as she could into one hand, but with her father so close, Vax hovering about in the shadows of the dining hall, an all too perceptive ranger, and a holy gnome cleric also nearby, she wasn’t fooling anyone in her attempts to appear stronger than she actually felt.

Zahra too she was quick to note, was also not fooled as she shared a knowing glance with Kashaw that had yet to stray far from the warlock’s side since their return to Whitestone.  “You should’ve stayed in bed then, but if you wanted a warm blanket dear, all you had to do was ask.”

The all too apparent innuendo was met with laughs and embarrassed snickers from the rest of the group.  “That wasn’t subtle at all.”  Keyleth muttered into her plate even as her cheeks turned almost as red as Zahra’s skin.

“Thank you for your concern Zahra, but I’ll…”  Making the mistake of glancing at Corvo, Emily narrowed her eyes to annoyed slits when she saw he was trying not to smirk.  Instead of continuing her polite refusal, Emily smiled entirely too sweetly towards the tiefling and said, “You know what?  Nevermind.  Perhaps listening to you read again is exactly what I need.”  She cast a now coughing, red faced Corvo a victorious smirk at having so clearly surprised him, an exceedingly rare occasion in her experience.

“You’re definitely my little girl.”  Corvo managed to get out now that he was no longer choking on the contents of his glass.  Setting it down to avoid a repeat, he shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes met Zahra’s as she sidled up to his side of the table.  “That she even agreed to sit still long enough to listen to anyone read to her makes me wonder what you’ve been  _ reading _ .”

“Heh, nothing you need to worry about, this time.”  Zahra assured the man even as she smirked sultrily in turn.  “The thought  _ had  _ crossed my mind, she is a  _ very  _ beautiful woman after all, but with her desire to get back and wanting to learn more about our world at the same time, I simply stuck with a History of Exandria.  I can show you the book if you don’t believe me.”

“That won’t be necessary.”  Corvo rumbled as he shook his head, all while a smirk refused to disappear from his face as he turned towards Emily next.  “And she’s right Emily, you didn’t have to come down.”

“And leave you alone with all these loveable buffoons?  I’d rather eat my boots.”

“Why, afraid of what they might tell me?”  He chuckled again while the rest of Vox Machina shared amused glances with each other.

“Partially.”  Emily admitted before glancing towards Vax and Vex.  “Mostly I was just worried they might ‘poison’ you too.”

“Hey!”  Vax mockingly protested and clutched at his chest as if she’d mortally wounded him.  “I take offense to that.”

“Only because it’s true, brother.”  Vex deadpanned in retort.

Rifling around in a pouch too small for such a large gray hand, Corvo watched, more than a little astounded by the sight while Emily simply returned to her meal, having grown used to such things, as Grog pulled out the ‘infamous’ cask of Sand Keg he’d heard so much about.  “Careful, your Royal Protectorness,” Grog warned as Pike set a spare goblet in front of the goliath which he filled with the liquid, “this stuff has a helluva kick.”

“That’s one word for it.”  Pike giggled softly as Grog finished filling it up before handing the drink over to a curious Corvo.  “But yes, it’s meant to be sipped rather tha-”  Once more, all of their mouths hit their laps as Corvo wasted no time in taking a heavy drink, much in the same way Emily had upon her first sampling of the ale.  “Uh….”

“Holy shit, now we know where she gets that from too.”  Vax stated, just as stunned as the rest of them.

Corvo, for his part, only shrugged as he set the goblet down in front of him.  “You haven’t been in Karnaca.  Some of the homebrew ales I’ve run afoul of would put this stuff to sssshhhhmme…..ma tunng is nuuumb.”  He frowned and glanced at the drink that remained in his glass, but shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the fact he was no longer able to form complete sentences without slurring every word.  “Huh….nnd eeople dink this uff on urpuss?”

“Yes, they drink that stuff on purpose where it’s made, and yes the first thing to go is usually the tongue.”  Keyleth helpfully informed the man while Emily valiantly tried not to laugh as Corvo worked his jaw to and fro in an effort to return feeling to his mouth.

“And once more I have to wonder what you two are made of.”  Vax mused, more than a little amazed that Corvo looked steady as a rock even if the numbness was slow to abate.  With a shake of his head, the rogue sighed but smirked crookedly at the pair of assassins.  “And on that note, I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

“Speak for yourself, Vax.”  Vex playfully countered even as she started to stand and make her way around the table while Emily stood on shaky legs.  “Zahra, be a dear and help me get this one to bed before she can think about trying it herself?”  She asked sweetly, all while ignoring the dark, annoyed look on the royal assassin’s face.

“I can get there my-”

“Why yes of course dear,” Zahra interrupted her, even as her tail none too gently wrapped around Emily’s waist in the same instant.  “And you’ll no doubt trip over the first stair you come across.  So let’s avoid such a mishap shall we?”

Knowing when she was outflanked and outmaneuvered, Emily remained silent as a grave even as she silently promised the pair of women she’d be paying them back for this the first chance she had.  Zahra merely grinned while Vex waited until they were out of the hall before leaning into her right ear, her hand finding a new home on her rear end.  “I just love it when you glare like that darling.”

Caught off guard, if only slightly, by the sudden shift, Emily had no immediate response as her cheeks turned red in quick order.  “Damn you Vex’ahlia.”  She growled, but there was no heat to the curse as her insides melted just from that much as she was ‘led’ away by an openly grinning Zahra.  “I hate it how easily you do that.”

“Do what darling?”  Vex asked innocently.

“Leave me torn between wanting to  _ strangle  _ you or rip your clothes off.”

Vex merely smirked and backed up just enough to allow the two to walk unimpeded, but not so far that she couldn’t catch Emily if her legs did give out on her.  “You could always try both if it’d help you decide, but you don’t strike me as the erotic asphyxiation type of person.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”  But try as she might, Emily couldn’t muster up the steel to give the bluff its proper due.  Instead she sighed but smiled, grateful for their assistance even if it had rankled her pride somewhat.  “I do appreciate your help, truly.”

“We know dear.”  Zahra assured her as they came up to Emily’s room, the tiefling opening the door but surprisingly, she stepped aside and let her go while letting Vex lead her the rest of the way.  When Emily glanced at her, curious as to why, the tiefling merely shrugged, “I was hoping to pick your father’s brain before he returned to your home world, that and I’m hoping by seeing whatever portal he uses to get back, I’ll be able to repeat the process to get you home whenever you’re ready to leave, Emily.”

“I-I see.  Thank you, for thinking of that when I didn’t.”  Zahra bowed her head respectfully, smiling warmly at Emily’s sincere gratitude both herself and Vex could hear in her voice.  There was more to it of course, but none of them felt the need to speak of it as Emily walked the short distance towards her bed under her own power while Vex gently shut the door after Zahra had gone.

The thankful glance they shared went unnoticed by Emily as she all but fell into bed with a tired sigh, her eyes closed and her mind adrift moments after her head hit the pillows.  Vex meanwhile blew out an amused, annoyed sigh as she remembered the few times Percy or one of the others had been revived under similar circumstances, and all of them had been equally as stubborn in their respective ways, only to collapse in the first comfortable spot they could find.  So getting Emily out of her boots and jacket, as well as making her comfortable by tucking her into the sheets and blankets, was a task she’d done before and would likely do again.  It was one that helped steady her own considerably frayed nerves at the same time, having not enjoyed the similar, lifeless look on Emily’s face in the slightest for her own reasons.

Leaving her to rest, Vex found Zahra at the end of the hall, speaking to Corvo as she said she would.  Deciding to leave them to it, the ranger slipped away, and only rolled her eyes when Vax stepped out of the shadows somewhere along the way.  “I’m surprised sis, I half expected you to curl up next to her for the evening.”

“I did consider it.”  She admitted, but shook her head at the very idea.  “But with her father about and the fact she was dead not hours ago, it didn’t seem right.  Tomorrow though all bets are off.”

“Heh, now that sounds like you sis, but yeah, I understand.”  And he did, he really did, and he patted Vex on the shoulder before pulling her into an one armed hug.  “She’s gonna be fine Stubby.”

“I know….but it never gets any easier, going through another revival, another chance for the dice to fall the wrong way and screw us over.”  It didn’t help Vex still felt guilty over the fact the only reason she was even alive was because her brother had given himself over to the Raven Queen, but that wasn’t worth thinking about further as she sighed and leaned into Vax’s embrace.  “Seriously Vax, we might’ve stopped that bard, but the Outsider wasn’t wrong.  We’re fucking assholes.”

“We’ve been trying to do better though.”  Vax argued in return as he rubbed a hand over his sister’s shoulder.  “That’s what matters, and fuck his fucking opinion.  That arsehole allowed that bitch to use his power to do all manner of shit.  He might’ve simply armed her, but he knew what she’d do with his damned Mark, so he’s just as much to blame for what happened as anyone.”

“Yeah….it still sucks balls though.”  Vex grumbled but allowed herself a smile all the same, grateful beyond what she could ever properly convey for his support.  “Thanks brother.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”  Vax chuckled even as he left a chaste, affectionate brotherly kiss on the side of his sister’s head before shoving her forward.

Corvo meanwhile found himself sitting across Zahra and Pike in the same study Emily had talked with the tiefling warlock, while Kashaw lingered by the study’s hearth, a heavy book opened in one hand.  Not that he was paying it much attention, but Corvo didn’t feel the need to comment as Zahra turned over the mask that had gotten him to this place between her hands.  “I will say this,” she began as she peered through the lenses without actually putting it on, “whatever enchantment’s on this thing now is strong enough to make my skin tingle.  It’s a well made piece, sturdy, a bit off putting, but it was made for you so that’s to be expected I suppose.”

“Thanks.”  Corvo rumbled and smirked as he took his mask back once Zahra had examined it to her heart’s content.  “I half expected to end up smashed against the side of the cliffs when I jumped for that portal, but the Raven Queen was true to her word.  Whatever tear was there allowed me to get here, although I have no idea if there’s another one around that’ll get me back.”

“There likely is.”  Pike offered before elaborating when their eyes fell on her, her feet nowhere near touching the ground as the large chair she sat in all but swallowed the gnome.  “It wasn’t long ago this entire area was under the control of some very bad and terrible people.  We helped liberate Whitestone, but the people here had been subjected to all kinds of horrible things before we arrived.  All that loss and pain likely tore open more of these rifts you’ve told us about and we’ve simply not noticed them.”

“If you can only see and use them with her blessing, then that makes sense.”  Kashaw droned without looking at either of them.  “Gods are weird like that.”

“So just look for another rift, kinda figured it’d be harder than that honestly.”  Corvo shrugged his shoulders though before letting his eyes fall much more intently on Pike.  She stared right back, acknowledging what was on his mind without him needing to say a word.  “I can’t recall if I ever properly thanked you for what you did for Emily, but I can’t begin to convey just what you’ve given back.”

“I can guess well enough.”  Pike assured him even as she waved him off with a kind smile and a shake of her head.  “Emily is a part of our family now, it was only natural we would’ve tried to bring her back, but having you around helped improve our chances by a fairly large margin.”

“Magic like that doesn’t come without a cost.”  Zahra intoned gravely, a sentiment Corvo needed no further explanation on as he rubbed at his formerly marked hand.  “You understand.”  It wasn’t a question.

“I do, I’m just sorry that Emily got dragged into this mess just like I did fifteen years ago.  This should’ve been my burden alone, not hers.”

“And she’d have felt just as bad about not being able to fight her own battles for the sake of her people, and those she too had lost.”  Pike gently if firmly countered.  “She’s a strong woman, Corvo, and while she didn’t get out of her ordeal without scars, she still bears a number of wounds that have yet to fully heal, but simply knowing you’re alive and things are getting better in Dunwall will no doubt help in that.”

Nodding his head in gratitude for her kindness, Corvo’s flicker of a smile slowly died as he recalled the grave news about their mutual….friend.  “Well, with what you’ve told me about the Outsider and his part in what happened, it means he’s planning something big, bigger than merely orchestrating more of the same chaos he so loves to watch unfold.  I’ll be sure to try and do some digging once I get back, hopefully I might be able to stave off whatever trouble he’s got planned.”  The chances of that were slim, but Corvo wasn’t about to let the Outsider win, not now, not after he’d gone after Emily and those she had allied herself with.  They were genuinely good people, that much he could see for himself, and while there were many back home that would take one look at the whole of Vox Machina and run the other way, Corvo had no such prejudices, having been a nobody street rat before he’d risen to such heights as he had.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Pike smiled brightly and nodded her head of platinum blonde locks.  “I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear it, but you be careful too.  I’d rather not have to do another revival for at least a year, thank you.”

“Heh, I’ll try not to cause you any trouble then.”  He promised, even though he gathered she was smart enough to know his job wasn’t exactly safe even on the best of days.  With a city on the mend and countless people looking to grab even a little power as they filled in vacancies, it was logical to assume his days and weeks would be quite tense until things settled down.

Still, his answer seemed to satisfy the small woman before him as she simply said, “Good.”

“Not to break up the party,” Kashaw began as he set his book back on the shelf, dropping any pretense he’d been reading at all, “but what are we doing once Emily’s on her feet?”

“We still have to help them get rid of that rakshasa haunting VM, Kash.”

“Oh yeah….all the excitement with that psycho bard kinda made me forget that guy.”  Kash admitted and sighed heavily.  “So you’re really planning to go with them Big Z?”

“Yes….”  The tiefling replied, making it clear she still didn’t like the idea.  “I need to do this for more than the fact it’s kinda our fault Hotis is after them, Kash.”  Kashaw understood and didn’t say a word even as he closed the distance between them.  Sighing into the cleric’s offered embrace, Zahra closed her eyes and took what strength she could from Kashaw’s rare act of genuine warmth and affection before he eventually pulled away with a feigned cough to disguise the fact his eyes had teared up a bit.  Zahra smiled but let him go without further input from her.

“S-so, ‘ahem’, I guess I might as well get to bed, big day tomorrow and all that.  You gonna be alright Z?”  Kash asked once he’d put some distance between them and he was sure his voice was steady enough.

“I’ll be fine dear.  Go on, I think I’m gonna finish a few things then I’ll turn in.”  Zahra replied and watched Kashaw go before turning to a mischievously smiling Pike and a quietly curious Corvo.  “Oh come off it Pike, we’re just friends.”

“Keep telling yourself that Zahra.”  Pike chuckled but otherwise kept her thoughts to herself….mostly.  “I think you’d make a good couple.”

“He has a nice arse, I will say that.”  They all quietly laughed at the warlock’s remark before Zahra sighed and turned to address the assassin between them.  “And before you ask, it’s a long story regarding Hotis, but I suspect that’s what Emily’s staying behind for since she….knows I don’t have a lot of fond memories about where we’re going.”

“I suspected as much, and I’m not surprised she’s trying to repay even a small fraction of the debt she feels she owes you all.”  Corvo stroked the bottom of his stubble covered chin before he slowly stood from the chair.  “I won’t ask about what you’re planning to do from here, I just hope whatever this is, you’re able to put it behind you Zahra, Pike.”

“Are you leaving then Corvo?”  Pike asked as he started for the door to the study.

“I need to get back to Dunwall, to continue to put the city back together again for Emily’s return.  Don’t get me wrong, I want to stay, but the Royal Protector must be there for the people when the Empress can’t be.”

“We won’t keep her long.”  Zahra assured the man as she joined him at the door.  “A week, two at the most, and you’ll see her again.”

“I’ll be waiting.”  Corvo promised and led the way back out of the castle with Zahra close on his heels.  That left Pike to wander away, tired but hopeful that their planned foray into the Nine Hells would go….mostly, without a hitch.

Passing by Emily’s room on her way to her own, she paused and cocked an ear when she heard a soft cry on the other side of the door.  Trying the knob, she winced guiltily when she found it unlocked as she gently and silently opened it, glad she’d kept her armor in her room.  Gingerly peeking her head into Emily’s room, Pike relaxed, if only slightly, when she saw Emily was alone and alright save for the fact she was having a bad dream.  “Al-Alexi…”  She softly called out, the guilt in her sleep heavy voice all too easy to hear as Pike gently shut the door behind her before making her way to Emily’s side.

Grimacing as the chair she moved to Emily’s bedside scraped across the stone, Pike breathed easier when she saw that the royal assassin simply turned away from the noise, muttering all the while.  “You’re safe now.”  She whispered as Pike gently grasped the closer of Emily’s hands.  “You’re going to be alright.”

Whether she heard or had simply reacted to her presence, Pike couldn’t have said, but she was happy to note Emily’s furrowed brow and pained expression began to soften almost immediately.  “I’m...sorry….Al-Alexi.”  She whispered to no one Pike could see, but she still squeezed the haunted woman’s hand all the same, hoping to alleviate even some of the old guilt of outliving so many people as she had, a pain Pike knew well in her own way.

Hitting upon a potentially risky idea, Pike stood in the chair and leaned as far forward as she could so her mouth was near Emily’s ear.  “I forgive you.”  She whispered, keeping her voice as soft she could in the hope she’d not disturb Emily’s sleep further.  She smiled though when she slowly turned her head back, a soft, relieved sigh escaping her as a tear rolled down her face.  Slowly pulling away, Pike allowed herself a congratulatory smile as she silently left once she was sure Emily was fully and truly asleep now.

As soon as the door shut behind her though and she was out in the hall, Pike couldn’t help but stare at the door, to the woman behind it, and wonder.  Shaking her head at the thought that had crossed her mind, Pike decided she’d lingered long enough for one day, and wandered to her room.  Preparing for bed, she paused just long enough to say a few prayers of thanks to Sarenrae before pulling herself into her own bed.  It was only once she was tucked beneath the blankets that Pike reached up to the earing on her ear.  “Scanlan?”  She asked, knowing he wouldn’t answer, and not just because he was far out of range of her Whisper Earring.  That didn’t stop Pike though, just as it hadn’t stopped her the countless times before she’d done this.  “I...miss you.”  How long she spent, telling her long lost friend about all the recent craziness that’d taken place, she didn’t know, but when she’d finally said her piece to the empty air, Pike offered one last, exhausted sigh and turned in for the evening.

==========

Emily woke up feeling better.  She still felt a little sore and tired from yesterday’s insanity, of being brought back from the dead, something she wouldn’t have thought possible before waking up in Exandria, but it wasn’t just her physical exhaustion that had been alleviated somewhat by a mostly good night’s sleep.  A weight had shifted, and not just from seeing her mother again as Emily got herself put together for the day.  She couldn’t put her finger on it, only that she vaguely remembered Alexi….forgiving her.  She knew she’d had another nightmare of the former guard captain, of Alexi’s bleeding body at her feet, but instead of the condemnations she had expected, Alexi had smiled and put a soft, warm hand against Emily’s cheek.  “It’s okay….I forgive you...Emily.”  She’d breathed out, and while she’d breathed her last as she had the first time during the coup, the soft, warm glow around Alexi’s face hadn’t faded away until the nightmare turned pleasant dream had faded back into her subconscious.

Something about all that felt...strange, but Emily wasn’t about to split hairs.  Maybe she really was on the mend now that things looked to be going back to some semblance of normalcy.  Whatever the case, she left her room in the castle, her head held high and a smile on her face, unsurprised to learn from Jarett that Corvo had left the night before when the mercenary turned loyal friend to Cassandra met her in the hall just as he’d done that first day.  “You’re looking well my lady Kaldwin.”  He noted happily, earning a more open nod and wider smile from Emily.

“I feel...better, thank you.  How’s Lady Cassandra?”  Emily asked as Jarett fell in step with her on her way to get something to eat.

“She’s doing better, but it’s been a slow road from what she had had to endure.  Still, she’s making great progress.”  Jarett assured her, his smile turning sad but its size didn’t waver as they paused halfway down the hall.

“That’s good.”  Emily replied, and paused, before dismissing what she’d been about to say.

The sentiment must’ve been all too visible on her face because Jarett put a hand on Emily’s upper arm and shook his dark skinned face.  “There is no need for what you’re thinking, Emily, but the fact you thought to make the offer at all says we were right about you.  I’ll still pass the word along of course, but leave Cass to me and her brother if you would.  It has taken great effort on my part just to get her to let her guard down at all.”

“O-of course, but the offer still stands, Jarett.  I know a good doctor that’d find all this beyond fascinating, true, but she’d prioritize her time in trying to offer what aid she could.”

Jarett merely grinned and nodded his head in gratitude.  “And what would this paragon of good will be called, pray tell?”  He asked, genuinely curious.  “I am a part of Lady Cassandra’s personal guard after all, and like your Royal Protector, I take my job quite seriously.”

“When you aren’t insulting Vox Machina you mean.”  Emily countered, a little grin appearing on her face which Jarett matched with an amused shrug of his shoulders.  “Doctor Alexandria Hypatia.  She...was another victim of the Grand Duke, Luca Abele, but I was able to give her back her sanity while eliminating the Crown Killer at the same time.”

“Ah, I see.  So you’d be potentially helping two people at once, provided she came here at all, and Cassandra agreed to see her of course.  How strangely fitting of you, Emily.”  Jarett mused, quite intrigued by the offer.  “Well, in either event, let’s see what craziness the rest of our mutual friends are up to shall we?”

“Knowing them, they’re likely hungover and still crawling out of bed.”  They shared a laugh at that as she opened the door to the dining hall, while Jarett walked away with a smirk still plastered on his face.  Surprisingly, she found most of the group upright and looking only slightly haggard and sleepy eyed, states that soon improved when they saw she was up and about.  “Good morning.”

“Mornin’ Ems.  Sleep like the dead?”  Vax asked, which earned an amused scoff from Emily as he slid over a spare plate he’d set aside for her which she accepted gratefully.

“Yes, I did.”  She retorted, wasting no time in digging in.  “And you’re still a wiseass.”

“Yep.”  Vax chuckled in response, making no secret he was completely unrepentant too.  “Seriously, would you know me any other way?”

“Nope.”  Vex answered before Emily could as she plopped herself down next to Emily on her other side while Zahra sat across from the three.  “How  _ are  _ you feeling though?  I know from experience being revived takes a lot outta someone.”

“I’m still a little sore and tired, but it’s much better now than what it was yesterday.”  Emily admitted as she paused from devouring what’d been set in front of her.  “Was it you or Zahra that tucked me in last night?”  She asked suddenly, smirking a little when both Vex and the tiefling glanced up suddenly at the unexpected question.

Vex at least had the decency to blush while Zahra merely grinned playfully.  “That was me.”  The ranger mock grumbled.  “Shoulda known you’d notice.”

“You never tuck me in anymore sis.”  Vax playfully teased, only to pull away when Vex reached behind Emily to try and smack him across the back of his head.

“That’s because you smell, brother.”  Vex grumbled in retort when she missed and pulled back away with a grunt.

“Love you too Stubby.”

“And suddenly I’m glad I was an only child.”  Zahra chuckled at that while both Vex and Vax shot Emily askanced looks at the playful insult thrown at them both.  Grinning at them equally, Emily shrugged and leaned back in her chair, having since cleared her plate in record time.  “If you two are quite done, I’m curious as to what the plan is for the day.”

Keyleth was the first to answer, surprisingly, as the Voice of the Tempest sat next to Vax.  “Other than making sure you were alright you mean?  I’ve actually been taking care of some Ashari business with Percy and Cassandra, but beyond that we’re just preparing for the trip to the Nine Hells tomorrow.  The sooner we deal with Hotis, the better.”

“Quite right.”  Percy agreed as he too sat down next to Zahra and Kashaw once the grouchy cleric joined the woman.  “Although getting there won’t be the problem, it’ll be reaching Hotis that’ll be the real trick since we don’t know where he is or how well protected he’ll be.”

“Well we’ve made it this far darling,” Vex stated as she met Percy’s gaze and held it, “we’ll figure it out.”

“True, and if all else fails, we can always fight our way out if need be, but I’d rather not invite that kind of trouble if we can avoid it.”

“Damn.”  Grumbled a disappointed Grog.  “I wanted to collect me some more souvenirs from those demony fucks.”

“But Grog,” Emily began, “if you’re doing that, who will protect me?”

“Oh right.”  Grog beamed, having forgotten the sword she’d given him, if only in a symbolic gesture of showing she trusted them enough to open up to them.  “Guess I can’t go slackin’ off now can I?”

“No you can’t Grog.”  Pike agreed while shooting Emily a conspiratorial grin as she patted her friend’s arm.  “You have responsibility now.”

“That’s a scary thought.”  Percy muttered into his wine glass before playfully grumbling at Emily next, “And thank you for ruining my fun, your Majesty.”

“You’re welcome Lord De Rollo.”  Emily replied, not at all apologetic for ruining Percy’s funny title he’d given the goliath, at Grog’s expense.

“Ugh, somehow you make my name sound downright spooky.  Why do I have a feeling I’m going to be receiving a surprise visit from a certain masked assassin?”

“ _ If _ I ever did send said assassin, you’d never know until he was already there.”  Replied a darkly smirking Emily before the look on her face softened with a shake of her head.  “That aside Percy, my father’s a good man.  On the very unlikely chance I ever did ask, the worst you’d receive is a good scare and possibly a sore throat for your trouble.”

“Good to know, but don’t take it the wrong way if I lock my window and door up tight.  Not that it’d probably stop him would it?”  He chuckled despite his lingering discomfort, wich Emily pointedly worsened, if slightly, when she merely smiled at him over her nearly empty cup of wine.

While it was slower going than she’d have liked due to her still healing body and mind, Emily and the rest of Vox Machina prepared what ways they could for their foray into the Nine Hells.  For her, that meant more time spent in Percy’s workshop, charging her stun mines, preparing new bullet casings full of Victor’s blackpowder, brewing fresh alchemical mixtures for her crossbow bolts, and a number of other assorted tasks of the same.  Somewhere along the way, she was surprised to see something odd on Percy’s side of the workshop, something that shouldn’t have been there.

Remembering he’d had her log book taken for a time, and the fact he’d likely seen the schematics for the various weapons and objects she typically used, there was one that she’d copied down that was neither tactically inclined or a weapon in her more than capable hands.  “You weren’t supposed to see that yet.”  Emily jumped when Percy himself soon stood over her right shoulder, the sad, almost regretful smile on his face slow to disappear as he put a hand on her shoulder as he gently pushed past.

“Why?”

“Why would I make that?”  Percy asked as he turned and crossed his arms over his chest, peering down the bridge of his spectacles at her as he leaned against his cluttered work space.  When she could only manage a nod, he pulled out a familiar piece of punched silver metal, the long strip’s contents having long been memorized by Emily.  “Because my own curiosity aside as to what’s on this, Keyleth thought it’d be a good idea to give you something back of your home on the very real chance you couldn’t get back.”

“So you decided to try and make a silvergraph.”  She managed to say without her voice cracking, once more surprised by their continued generosity and good will towards her.  “Does it work?”

“I actually need to make a few final adjustments, but it’s my hope it’ll work.”  Percy offered, his sad smile turning upward as he pushed his spectacles up along the bridge of his nose with one finger.  “What do you plan to do once your imagined debt is paid up Emily?”  He asked suddenly, and held up a hand to silence her for the moment.  “I understand you need to go back to Dunwall, to rule your Isles, but my question isn’t without merit.”

“It largely depends on how bad things are still when I return,” she began slowly, more to give her reeling thoughts a chance to settle than any further guardiness on her part, “but best case scenario, the rebuilding process won’t be overly long, for my people’s sake rather than my own.  But if you’re asking me personally, I’m planning to be a much better Empress, but it’ll be on my terms rather than trying to live up to my mother’s example.”

“You have this funny way of answering a question without actually answering it.”  She crossed her arms and scowled at the nobleman for his amused sarcasm, even if he was being completely serious at the same time.  “Let me rephrase the question.  It’s obvious you like it here, or rather, you like the people you’ve come to know, but what happens if you can’t come back once you’re gone?”

Understanding dawned on Emily as to what he was really asking, and Emily could no longer stare him in the eyes even though he was being nothing but kind about his inquiries.  He was really asking about Vex, Zahra, and possibly even Pike, what she planned to do if this would truly be the last days she’d ever see them again.  “I don’t know, Percy.”  She admitted finally.  “I just know I’ll always be grateful for what you’ve all done for me, and I’ll hold onto that for as long as I can.”  She was surprised, pleasantly so, when she felt the nobleman’s arm around her back as he pulled her close a moment later.

“You aren’t the only one, Emily.”  He whispered into the top of her head.  “Having you around has given me more than a little appreciation for what I have in my own right, but I’m honored to include you in my growing list of good fortune.  You ‘borrowing’ Vex aside of course.”  He teased, chuckling when she halfheartedly slapped a hand against his shoulder.  “I know I know, she came to you and all that, as Vex made sure I understood.  And as much as the thought should probably make me worried, I’m not since I know Vex, I trust her.  And I only asked because I’d rather not see you or any of my friends hurt by mistake.”

“I appreciate your concern.”  Emily softly replied as she wiped at her eyes once she’d pulled away from Percy’s embrace.  “And I don’t want to cause a mess either, believe me.  It was...just nice, feeling like a human being again, even if at the time I nearly threw her out on her bare arse.”

“Now  _ that  _ I can definitely emphasize with.”  Percy replied, his face almost split in half by the grin that appeared there, but the sad, wistful glimmer in his eyes made Emily wonder if he meant the latter or the former more.  Before she could think about it further, he turned to the nearly finished silvergraph on his workbench, summarily dismissing her in the same instant, but she didn’t complain.  She left him to his work and left the workshop, touched by his concern and his willingness to further aid her in his own unique fashion.

Find herself by her room once more, she slowed and paused when she saw the door was partially open.  Silently moving to the door she was sure she’d shut, Emily’s hand strayed to the sword on her belt, only to relax somewhat when she saw a familiar pair of antlers as Keyleth walked nervously past.  Despite warnings from both Zahra and Vax both about the thing that was hunting them, Emily doubted she had anything to fear from the druid, especially when she used her Dark Vision and saw, even with the door between them, that the half elven redhead was exactly as she’d come to know in their time together thus far.

Waiting just long enough for Keyleth to turn her back to the door again, Emily slipped inside, gently shutting the door with a just audible click that had the druid spinning on her heel in a rush.  The train of her long green, woodland dress whirled with her, nearly entangling between her slender, lithe legs, but she managed to keep herself upright.  “ _ Gods….damn it _ Emily, are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”  She breathed out in a rush.

“No, but I wasn’t expecting a visit either.”  Emily replied without missing a beat, her voice soothing in tone as she held up her hands in a placating gesture.  Seeing she was both still trying to swallow her heart that had jumped into her throat and the fact the druid was unusually agitated, even for her, Emily used her Far Reach to pull a chair over to her side before quickly, gently, pushing Keyleth down into the chair before pulling one over for herself from her work desk.  “Take a breath, Keyleth.”  She commanded, just as gently, and patiently waited for the druid to calm down.

“S-sorry….but these past couple of weeks have been….more crazy than usual.  A friend...a good friend of ours decided to break away from the group after saying a number of angry, hurtful things to us, I’ve become Voice of the Tempest, we’ve dragged you all over Exandria after we saved you, we’ve had some bardic assassin after us, and a god from your world’s been raising all kinds of trouble.  Before you were dragged out of the water though….”  Keyleth slowed, stilled, her eyes falling to the stone floor between them.  When she spoke again, Emily had to strain her ears to hear what came next, but she had a feeling she already knew what Keyleth was going to say.  “Before we found you, I finally learned what had happened to my mother when she reached Vesrah on her own Aramente.”

Emily needed little more than that to understand Keyleth had lost her mother, which explained why she’d been on the same journey.  It also explained a great deal more about Keyleth herself, but the admission still left the royal assassin momentarily taken aback.  Keyleth sighed heavily and folded her hands beneath her chin, her gaze still downcast as she began to speak.  “No one knew what had happened, why Vilya...my mom, never came home, but it was eventually decided by Korren that I’d take her place.  My childhood went from carefree to strict spell training, lore memorization, let alone what lessons I’d need to be a leader of my people.  So in that, we’re….we’re not so different.”

Emily remained silent save to nod her head, not about to interrupt Keyleth as she got such a heavy weight off her shoulders, although why she was telling her all this and not Vax she couldn’t guess.  She didn’t get to ponder it long in any event as Keyleth slowly looked up.  “Not long before we found you, the last part of my Aramente required we go through a rift into the Elemental Plane of Water and collect several magically charged lodestones, which the Water Ashari use to keep Vesrah up and out of the waves of the ocean.  We were told before we went that the area around the portal had recently come under the control of a giant, powerful creature called a kraken, a multi limbed gigantic octopus or squid, I’m actually not sure which, that nearly killed us all before we achieved our goal.  Vax….he wasn’t so lucky, he died doing what he always did, saving the rest of us.”

Several things hit Emily at once, the least of which was the fact he’d clearly been brought back in much the same way she’d been.  Her suspicions were, once more, soon confirmed when Keyleth opened her mouth again.  “I don’t know how you wound up over the side of the giants’ tower, Emily, or how that damned bard wound up next to you, I just know that you sacrificed yourself to save us.  Even before that though, I think I’ve long since come to the realization that having you here has been some of the better days of my life, even if we kinda got off on the wrong foot...a few times.”  She trailed off, but was reassured by the little smile that appeared on Emily’s face.

Emily surprised herself as much as Keyleth when she leaned forward and put a hand on the druid’s knee.  “You aren’t the only one, Keyleth.  I never would’ve thought I’d learn and experience half as much as I have since getting to truly know you all.  You don’t need to apologize, especially since I hadn’t exactly been the easiest person to be around, but I am sorry the answer you found about your mother wasn’t what you wanted.”

“I-I think I knew a long time ago she was gone, but thank you.”  Keyleth smiled through the tears that had started to roll down her face as she squeezed the hand on her knee, their fingers tightening around the other’s.  “It feels better though, finally having an answer, and because of Pike, I still have Vax in my life.  But it’s also because of her that I still have you around, even if you are preparing to go back home as soon as we finish our latest insane mission.”

Emily remained silent, but she couldn’t help but run her fingers over the pendant around her neck that’d been given to her by Vax from Keyleth.  “It seems we’ve both begin to mend at long last.  I’ll remember this, Keyleth, and all that we’ve gone through, but as much as I want to remain, I also have my people to lead.”

“I know.”  Keyleth sighed heavily and was reluctant to let go of Emily’s hand even as she gently pulled away.  “But I just wanted you to know, you’ll always be welcome in Zephra, even if yeah you  _ did  _ kinda bring more excitement to my life then I would’ve liked.”  They shared a much needed laugh at that as Keyleth wiped a sleeve across her eyes, drying them as best she could.  Taking a moment to breathe easy, the druid sighed and slowly started to stand.  Pausing at the door though, Emily raised an eyebrow when the young, at least she seemed young to her, woman’s cheeks turned nearly as bright as her hair.  “Uh….ya know, I’m not very good at this, but...uh….w-well, with the fact we’re going to the Nine Hells tomorrow, I can’t help but remember this one time a long time ago I nearly k-k-”

The eyebrow that had already started to rise hit the top of her forehead as Emily, taken aback by what she was hearing, wondered if Keyleth was trying to say what she suspected she was struggling to get out.  “Yes?”  She gently coaxed, her curiosity getting the better of her as she slowly stood, but not before sliding her dark blue jacket off of her shoulders and draping it across the back of the chair Keyleth had been sitting in as Emily slowly closed the distance between them.  When Keyleth nearly bolted, Emily pushed the door shut just as she started to open it, and let her hand cup the druid’s cheek.  “Tell me, Keyleth.”

Whether it was the softly spoken words, the emotional state they were both in, or just the look in her eyes, Keyleth couldn’t have begun to say.  And despite her promise to Percy not to cause any of his family unnecessary heartache, she didn’t resist either when Keyleth hesitantly leaned in, one hand curling in the front of her black armored leather undershirt of armor, her lips teasing across the Empress’s own.  The gentle brush of a thumb across Keyleth’s cheek was all the permission Emily needed to give before she closed the few remaining centimeters between them.  Between the strangely pleasant earthy smell that filled her nose and the taste of Keyleth’s lips as she teased her tongue across the druid’s mouth, Emily couldn’t help but moan softly into the kiss as her hand moved from the woman’s cheek to the back of her neck while her free hand roved to the small of the redhead’s back.

Understanding this would be far more gentler than her time with Vex had been, Emily found she didn’t mind the prospect as Keyleth eventually pulled away, her green eyes blown with heat and desire just from their kiss, a slow, very approving smile spreading across her fair, half elven face.  “W-wow….okay that was...different.”  Emily gently chuckled in response as Keyleth tried to gather her senses, but the royal assassin had other plans as she gently pulled Keyleth’s head back and kissed the hollow of her throat, earning a needy, soft whimper from the druid.  “Y-yeah….this is turning out b-better than I thought it’d be.”

“This is nothing.”  Emily whispered as she soon returned to looking into Keyleth’s eyes as she pulled her flush against her front.  Letting her hands fall to the druid’s slender waist, she slowly let her fingers rove along the woman’s sides, drawing out little shivers from the redhead as she went.  Relaxing into the touch though, Emily was assured she wasn’t about to run again, a fear further assuaged when Keyleth’s hands finally started to make their way up Emily’s wiry, slender if muscular frame.  “How far did you want to take this, Keyleth?”  She asked, genuinely curious even as she leaned into the girl’s right ear, still slightly surprised that she, Vex, and Vax all had equally sharply pointed ears.  As much as she wanted to suck on the tip, just to see how sensitive they were, Emily held off, wanting an honest answer without further adding to the lust already present between them.

“J-j-just be gentle?”  Keyleth eventually asked, which Emily nodded in silent but firm agreement, her earlier soft, small smile widening as her hands cupped the druid’s face once more.

“I will be.”  Emily promised, her dexterous fingers already undoing the various clasps and bindings holding Keyleth’s outfit together.  An easy feat for her, and it didn’t take long before the druid’s robes and dress were on the floor around her feet, revealing a heavily tattooed body beneath.  It only took a moment to take in the intricate, beautiful whirls, lines, and more to realize the markings were meant to symbolize her new station.  Unsurprisingly, anymore at least, the usual irritation she had expected along Keyleth’s fair skin from the new markings wasn’t present, a healing spell having likely been used at some point to take care of the problem.  It just meant Emily didn’t have to be shy about running her lips over every inch as she was helped out of her own clothes in short order, her eyes falling to a brand on the druid’s upper right arm.  It was the only mark, not counting the various small scars that adorned the druid at least, that Emily found unappealing, but even the burned on brand from what she’d later find out belonged to the Slayer’s Take simply told more of Keyleth’s story.

Leading Keyleth to her bed, Emily gently pushed her back until the redhead was on the pillows at one end before climbing on top, her lips at Keyleth’s own once more.  Shivering at the gentle friction between them as their bodies shifted against each other, Emily too groaned, whisper quiet, into Keyleth’s mouth as she ran her dexterous fingers through the redhead’s beautiful locks.  Sliding to the side a little, Emily chuckled when she felt Keyleth’s right hand, which had been tangled up in her own short dark brown hair, fall to the small of her back, her nails gently biting into her back as they went to her butt.  Cupping a breast, Emily sucked on the side of Keyleth’s neck, her thumb and forefinger rolling the druid’s nipple while her lips trailed a series of soft, heated kisses against the side of her face until she reached the tip of Keyleth’s ear at last.

A shuddery gasp escaped her when Emily’s warm, wet lips wrapped around her ear’s tip about the same time her fingers squeezed her nipple instead of simply rolling the sensitive bud.  Approval gleamed in the assassin’s eyes as she quietly grinned into Keyleth’s ear, her breath tickling across the woman’s skin, further increasing the little trembles that raced through her as Emily teased her tongue around the sharp tip of Keyleth’s ear.  The hand on her ass tightened and shook, while the other trailed up to a shoulder where Keyleth’s grip tightened when Emily strongly sucked on the lobe next, a heated, almost animal like mewl escaping her.  Pulling away, Emily whispered five little words.  “Sit on the edge of the bed.”

Unable to resist the softly spoken command, Keyleth quietly obeyed, too turned on and needing release to argue or doubt herself further as Emily slid up behind her, her hands trailing down the sides of the druid’s head, neck, and lower still as she cupped her full, round breasts.  “Em-Emily.”  She moaned, the sound quite appealing to the assassin as Emily’s right hand slid lower, gently coaxing the druid to spread her legs for her.

“I’m here.  Lean into me, Keyleth.”  She whispered, her fingernails trailing across the woman’s stomach, up to just below her breasts, and traced one of the many beautiful tattoos across her chest while her other hand continued to massage and knead her breasts.  “I’m going to make you cum, Keyleth.”  She promised, her breath once more washing over her left ear this time as Emily reached down to the floor with Far Reach, picking up something she’d nearly forgotten.  Holding the item up before her dilated green eyes, Emily smiled soothingly when their eyes met a moment later.  “Trust me?”  She asked, to which Keyleth shakily nodded her head.  Kissing the side of her cheek before leaving a lingering, heated kiss against the side of her neck next, Emily nodded her head as she slowly folded her ‘mask’ handkerchief in such a way she could use it as a makeshift blindfold before gingerly tying it around the druid’s head, covering her eyes as she did.

Robbed of her sight, Keyleth’s other senses heightened in response, making the next tender, gentle touch of Emily’s mouth against her ear that much more pronounced.  The sharp, trembling moan that poured from her parted lips was music to the Empress’s ears as one hand once more moved down between Keyleth’s legs, this time only coming to a stop at the folds of her sex while the other wrapped around the druid’s waist, hugging her against her front as she did.  Biting her bottom lip, Emily ran her middle and forefinger along Keyleth’s smooth nether regions, the palm of her hand rubbing along the hood of the druid’s clit with every pass, each move further encouraging her clit to peak from its hiding place.

Keyleth’s hands clenched and relaxed as she groaned and writhed against Emily’s gentle but firm embrace, her skin on fire in a way she’d only ever experienced with Vax, yet different enough she’d forever remember this moment.  True to her word, Emily was gentle, kind, and utterly thorough as her free hand continued to roam over her fair skin, gooseflesh breaking along her flesh wherever Emily’s fingers went next.  Reaching behind her, Keyleth insistently pulled the woman’s head down by the back of her head, wanting her lips back at her neck and against her ear, which she was more than happy to oblige as Emily returned to tracing slow, heated kisses along the side of her neck.  Slipping a finger inside, Emily shuddered at the heat and wetness she found there while Keyleth’s eyes, covered by the handkerchief, opened wide and she groaned in response at the strange but not unwelcome intruder.

“Cum for me, Keyleth.”  Emily crooned into her left ear, her finger pushing inward as she spoke.  “Cum.”  She whispered, coaxing Keyleth to buck and groan with every inward plunge of her gently probing finger.  Pressing her palm hard against the redhead’s clit just as her finger dove as far as she could reach, going for a spot she knew well would work on most anyone, Emily smiled as Keyleth gave a soundless cry in elvish, her fingers clenching against the back of the assassin’s neck.  Bringing her down from her high, Emily’s probing finger slowed and eventually stilled, allowing the druid to ride the wave for as long as she could stand before slowly withdrawing the wet, sticky digit from her depths that still spasmed and clenched, weeping clear juices down her legs.

Tasting her on her finger, Emily made it a point to audibly suck on the finger as she licked up every drop before gently collecting more for the druid, teasing the tip across Keyleth’s lips in silent encouragement.  She didn’t disappoint as the druid, still shaking softly from her climax, darted her tongue across Emily’s finger until nothing was left.  When she was done, Emily undid the handkerchief from Keyleth’s head and slowly removed it, allowing her to adjust to the shift from near total blackness to the light of a single lantern on the desk.  “Was that what you’d been hoping for?”  Emily asked as she left a kiss against Keyleth’s neck.

“Y-yeah.  Gods, that was….amazing isn’t enough of a word.”  She trembled, smiling languidly as she bared her neck to Emily’s mouth, a silent invitation she took full advantage of.  “What about...mmm...you though?”

“Did I say we were done?”  Keyleth blushed but smiled approvingly when she turned her head to look into Emily’s eyes.  “Let’s see what you’ve learned.”

**End Notes:**  I might include the other half in the next chapter, or they might pop up on the other side of the Divine Gate, having already crossed into the Nine Hells.  I haven’t decided yet, but I WILL say that I immensely enjoyed getting back to this, and by giving you folks a very long overdue little scene between Emily and Keyleth this time.  Zahra and Emily will also be a thing before the end, but for now I hope this will be enough of an apology for the very long overdue update to this amazing story.  Take care everyone, and I’ll see you HOPEFULLY a lot sooner.  Adios!


	20. Contractual Negotiations

**Author’s Notes:**  Before anyone asks what I think about the new ‘Season’ for Critical Role, (assuming no one did so in the comments already lol), it’s too early to really tell just yet.  Having said that, I DO love most of the characters that’ve been introduced and that they started in Wildmount, the home of Zahra Hydris and Taryon Darrington, so we get to see another corner of their amazing world that, up until now, has only been really glanced at by and large compared to other parts of Exandria.  My only real complaint is that we have to get used to a whole new cast of loveable buffoons lol, but I will say this, they’re off to a rather good start with this weird zombie thing going around, one of which attacked the circus they’d begun to gather at.  It’s funny the people you meet when zombie demon things attack lol.  Anyway, my rant aside, I hope the last chapter was well received and I’ll see ya at the bottom!

**Chapter 19**

**Contractual Negotiations**

Waking up some time later, Emily groaned softly as she started to sit up, only to find herself restrained by a pair of slender, fair skinned arms.  Remembering last night’s activities, the Empress softly smiled as she turned, seeing Keyleth was out like a light.  Despite a little guilt from possibly, further complicating things among the group, Emily was at least glad she’d been able to share something new and decent with the druid as she gingerly started to peel herself free from Keyleth’s grasp.  The amused cough from Vax as she spotted him spinning on his heel the moment he started to invite himself into her room was strangely an added bonus in the royal assassin’s mind as she casually pulled on a gray silk robe, making no effort to tie it closed as she yanked the door open before pulling the rogue inside by the back of his shirt.  “Vax, still not bothering to knock?”  She asked, her cheeks turning bright red despite the lingering amusement dancing in her brown eyes.

“Something I’m coming to regret in hindsight.”  The man replied, pointedly not looking at her despite the still present, if embarrassed, humor in his voice.  “When I woke up and Keyleth still wasn’t in bed this morning, I figured I’d check here, and sure enough, here you two are.”  Grinning over one shoulder, Emily’s blush brightened as she cinched the robe shut as she met his gaze, to which Vax turned at last and patted her on the cheek.  “Whatever you’re gonna say, don’t.  I’m kinda of the same mind as Percy on this kind of thing Ems.  That and I’m not blind, I know she and Vex nearly kissed once upon a time during our first visit to Whitestone while we were getting ready to liberate Percy’s home from the Briarwoods.  I’m honestly surprised she didn’t ask a lot sooner, but mere curiosity didn’t spur this on.  She’s worried.”

“There...was a little more to it than that, but that was a part of it.”  Emily replied, immensely relieved Vax was handling this….situation as well as he was.  “I know we should’ve said something, but it kinda just...happened.”

“That seems to happen a lot with you.”  He chuckled, but while the smirk remained on his face, the look in Vax’s eyes turned more serious as his hand moved from her cheek to her shoulder.  “Was it about her mother?”

“Yes.”  Vax nodded at Emily’s one word answer, needing no further explanation, but she kept going because she needed to make sure he understood what had spurred this on in the first place.  Unable to get her voice above a whisper, Emily pushed forward as best she could.  “She wanted to talk, leader to leader but also to a friend, about our shared pains.  One thing led to another and I...encouraged her despite having promised Percy not to complicate things further.”

“Nah, I doubt you’ve done that Ems.”  Vax assured her, his serious visage softening as he pulled her in a little.  “I’m just glad you were able to help the love of my life at all, and to satisfy an innocent curiosity at the same time, or several, I’m willing to bet.”  The rogue’s smirk morphed into a grin while he took a step back, allowing the royal assassin the space to at least get some clothes together for their latest misadventure while he silently padded over to the still peacefully sleeping Keyleth.  “And since we’re going to a literal Hell today, if we all end up dying, at least she’ll have something positive to hold onto.”

“We _won’t_ be dying.”  Emily stated, making it clear she wouldn’t accept anything less.  “Besides, I promised Zahra I’d see her to and from the Nine Hells, but that promise extends to the rest of Vox Machina.  You’ve literally brought me back from the Void, that’s a debt I can’t begin to repay, but on a much more personal level….I can’t just go, leaving things unfinished.  Not after everything that’s happened to me, not after all the kindness you’ve all shown me….even during those moments when I didn’t deserve it.  You understand that, don’t you?”

“I do.”  Vax replied, remembering well how Zahra had reacted to his initial request that the powerful tiefling warlock accompany them in their effort to finally see Hotis destroyed once and for all and the curse of vengeance ended at the same time.  But he understood, he understood exactly what Emily was saying, but he didn’t feel the need to push that line of thought further and said instead.  “Zahra’s worth the headache though, even if there’s something between her and that crotchety cleric that’s stuck to her backside.”

“Kashaw might take offense to that.”  Emily chuckled softly, but otherwise let the comment drop.  “But yes, Zahra’s a good woman even though I was….less than receptive of her...exotic appearance until I started to get to know her.”

“You handled her look better than some people I could name, and we’ve lived in this world our whole lives.”  Vax said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders as he gently shook Keyleth’s shoulder, one hand gingerly brushing through her long red hair.  “Kiki, time to shake off the post coital bliss and get up.”  He teased, and was rewarded with a half hearted swing of one hand as Keyleth rolled over, away from him.  “She’s always been slow to wake up after a….long night.”

“It helps I probably wore her out nearly as much as I did your sister.”  Emily informed the man, unashamed now that she was certain she wasn’t about to find a dagger in her gut.

“ _So_ didn’t need to know that.”  Vax chuckled even as he gave Emily an amused eye roll over one shoulder.

She merely smiled a little wider in response.  “Are you complaining?”

“... Not directly.” Vax admitted after a pause, though he sent a sharp glare her way. “But don’t tell me anything else about my sister if you’d be so kind, that's just too weird as it is.  Having to hear her screaming her lungs out was gross enough, thanks.”

“I shall take your request into consideration.” Emily declared imperiously, a sly smile forming on her face. Coupled with her stance her declaration made her look like the Empress she was, a playful one, but one nonetheless.

Vax’s response was to sigh in mock exasperation before shaking Keyleth’s arm more firmly, which earned a sleepy mumble as she sat up, her face partially concealed by her long red locks.  “Mmmm?  ...Wha’s goin’ on?”  She muttered sleepily, green eyes blurry from sleep, but not blurry enough not to find the other woman standing by the desk.  “Emily?  Wait….if you’re over there….then who’s….”  She trailed off, her befuddlement disappearing in short order as she locked eyes with the rogue.

“Morning Kiki.”  Vax grinned when her eyes fell on him, before she immediately pulled the blankets over her head with a shriek.

“Shit shit shit shit SHIT!  You...uh...um...hi...Vax.  This is….totally not what it looks like!”  Keyleth rambled, her voice muffled by the blankets covering her head as she curled up into a small a ball as possible.

“I’m afraid it is Kiki, but I’m not mad.”  Vax chuckled kindly as he slowly began to pull the blankets away from Keyleth’s grasp.  “Come on, get out of there.  It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before.”

“That’s usually in _our_ bed though!”  She hissed, her cheeks having long since turned brighter than her hair, her bottom lip having found a new home between her teeth until she got her mouth to work again.  “Oh gods oh gods oh gods this is so….so not me!”

“If it makes you feel better, he can join us next time.” Emily suggested impishly, watching as Keyleth seemed to turn even redder while her brain, from what she could see anyway, apparently suffered a complete shutdown, one eye visibly twitching.

“That doesn’t look healthy.” Vax mused as the half elf on the bed almost began shaking from utterly mortified induced giggles.  The rogue merely smirked as he helped her upright and hugged her against his chest, chuckling all the while.  “Lay off a bit Ems, I think ya broke her.”

“Very well.”  Emily relented but smiled comfortingly at the pair, having gotten her clothes and armor on the writing desk for now.  “And as much fun as that might be, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  I already refused Vex’s repeated ‘requests’ for something similar between herself and Percy.”

“Oh I remember, trust me.”  Vax grinned crookedly.  “It was all she would talk about for days after your little evening together.”

“Can we not talk about this anymore please?”  Keyleth muttered into Vax’s chest before she slowly looked up into the rogue’s handsome face.  “And you're sure that….alright with this?”  She gestured to herself before waving the same hand in Emily’s direction.

“As I just got done telling Emily, _yes_.”  Vax reassured her before laying a kiss on her forehead, his dexterous fingers running soothingly along the back of her head.  “I’m just glad it was with someone we all happen to like a lot despite how much of a pain in the arse she’s been.”

“And considering I’m still right here has nothing to do with it I’m sure.”  Emily retorted, her smile not fading in the slightest as she crossed her arms just under her chest.

“Meh that’s just part of that Vox Machina charm you’ve come to know and love.”  Vax countered without missing a beat as Keyleth sighed in abject relief as she leaned into his chest once more, her lips pulling up into a much more relaxed, contented smile.  “I do gotta ask though,” Vax began after a comfortable silence had fallen between them, his arms never straying from around the druid’s waist and back, “did ya at least enjoy yourself Kiki?”

“Y-yeah...it was….different, but I can understand the appeal a little better now.”  Despite the return of her burning cheeks, Keyleth was surprised at herself more than anything that she’d been able to get even that much out into the open at all.  “It helped she was….kind, gentle even, although I was _pretty_ sure my heart was about to explode from just how nervous I was when I even thought to ask.”  Emily simply watched and smiled warmly at being the source for such praise.

“Ah so it was you that started it, shoulda guessed as much.”  Vax teased, running his nose into the top of Keyleth’s head.  “Well, I’m glad.  Really I am, so don’t worry your sweet little head over it Kiki.”

“Mmmm….how’d I get so lucky?”  Asked Keyleth as she looked up into Vax’s face, her silent request all too easy to read in her green eyes.

“Funny, I was gonna ask the same thing.”  Vax replied as their lips met for a lingering, heated kiss that poignantly reminded Emily of her days spent with Wyman.  Still, the moment passed quickly as the rogue eventually pulled away and got to his feet, but not before grabbing Kiki’s discarded clothes from the floor and handing them back to her.  “Now if you’re quite done being a hot mess, we do kinda have a job to do yet.”

“Yeah yeah I’m going.”  Keyleth groaned and flopped back onto her back in the bed as Vax made his way past a quietly smiling Emily.  “Ugh...I so hate you both.”  She called after the rogue just as he reached the door.

“No you don’t.”  She and Vax said at the same time before Vax slipped out, as silent as ever while Emily sighed contently before beginning to get dressed.  The soft rustle of the blankets being thrown aside as Keyleth continued to grumble softly was heralded by her doing the same.  Having tortured the druid long enough for one morning, Emily decided to keep the teasing down to a minimum, for now at least.  “Thank you, for what you said to Vax.  I had hoped I hadn’t scared you off or went too far in some way.”

“Especially since you could tell I was about as nervous as a field mouse?”  Keyleth asked, knowing the answer to her own question as she turned once she’d gotten her dress up around her long legs once more.  “And what I told Vax was the truth, I...appreciate what you did, far more than I thought I would in all honesty.  I strangely regret not kissing Vex way back when now and seeing where things might’ve gone, but I’m happy with her brother.  He’s….been good to me, far more than I probably deserve sometimes.  Gods I’m such a mess right now.”  She finished with a groan, one hand pressed against the side of her head.

Emily’s soft touch to her cheek was enough to make Keyleth forget, at least temporarily, the near constant burn in her cheeks that’d been present since waking up.  “I might not have known you before waking up on that beach, but don’t ever doubt you deserve happiness, Keyleth, no matter who you once were, or who you are now.”  A thought occurred to her then, and Emily couldn’t help but chuckle as she backed away and turning back to her desk, her hands reaching out for her equipment.  “And keep in mind, the Outsider’s likely seen every possible outcome.  If you ever get brave enough to ask, he might tell you how a relationship with Vex turned out, albeit in his indirect, cryptic fashion.”

“But since he’s tried to kill us in his indirect, far less cryptic way, I’d rather just shove my staff up his ass.”  Keyleth muttered angrily as she finished getting herself together before making her way to the door.  She paused midstep, halfway to the door, and let her head hang with an exasperated groan.  “And now I’ve turned into Pike.”

“There are worse people you could take after.”  Emily offered as she finished getting her things together.

“Meh true.”  Keyleth replied as she slipped out of Emily’s room, her head held noticeably higher.

The next hour or so was a flurry of activity as the rest of Vox Machina made final preparations for the journey ahead, before gathering in front of the Sun Tree.  Unlike last time, Emily got the feeling they weren’t going to be walking through the ancient tree as they’d done multiple times already, and was soon proven right as the Air Ashari druid directed them to grasp each other’s hands while she prepared to cast a spell she’d not seen before.  Situated between Zahra and Pike, Emily braced herself as best she could as the arcane energy around them coalesced into their reality being torn asunder.

Flung across the very planes of existence, Emily could only gawk as the rest of Vox Machina just collectively shrugged while images and colors rushed past, a great rushing wind near deafening to her ears as they were guided to their final destination.  It was then they saw it, a massive, impossibly large barrier, but they passed right through it so quickly that the scream she’d been about to unleash never got past her lips.  By the time she noticed the mark on her hand had flickered briefly before returning to its previous state, they’d landed.  If not for Zahra’s tail wrapping around her waist when it did as Emily leaned into her side, she was sure her legs would’ve buckled from the dizzying experience from her first, fully conscious plane shift.  “I think….you’re enjoying throwing everything….you can at me before I go home.”  She groaned, her stomach roiling more from the experience than any actual discomfort of the trip.

“It’s definitely a plus.”  Vex admitted happily while Percy merely smirked from her right side.  Taking a quick glance around, the ranger’s grin faded somewhat as the rest saw their immediate surroundings.  “Huh...so this is Hell.”  She stated, trying to sound more cheerful than she currently felt.

“One of them at least.”  Vax agreed uncomfortably as he pulled his hood up over his head, not that it’d probably do him a lot of good.  Regardless, he and the rest agreed with the general opinion that had been shared by Vex.  The miles upon miles of cavernous terrain, the black, almost molten rock beneath their feet laced with veins of red, were largely covered in razor sharp pieces of rock that only evened out closer to the city that spanned the entirety of the near pitch black horizon.  The screams, howls, and shrieks of demon and damned soul alike filled the air, making it clear they weren’t in a good place, although the palpable, malevolent atmosphere told them that on its own.

 _There is no sky._  Having made the mistake of trying to pierce the darkness with her magic, Emily could only gape as she saw more of the same jagged rock miles above their heads, past a dense, green cloud like covering that obscured the ‘sky’ above, flat out confirming that they were in a gigantic cavern.  At least, that’s what this place was meant to resemble anyway, which made the Void seem almost preferable since she felt strangely claustrophobic here.  A quick glance to a very tense, slightly wide eyed Zahra reminded her that she had a much more personal reason to dread what awaited them.  “Zahra.”

The warlock jolted, her silvery eyes falling on Emily’s face.  “I-I’m alright.”  She assured the group, her back straightening as she fidgeted with the gray crystal at the tip of her staff, tightening it further although it didn’t need it.  “There we are.  So, to Hell with us?”  She asked, but her brave act was paper thin to most of the group’s eyes.  The sweat on her brow and the subtle way her eyes flicked frantically about, let alone the minute tremor to her red skinned hands, were all signs to Zahra’s true state of mind.

Emily wasn’t the first to approach the older woman, a hand on a shoulder, an arm, her back, but she was definitely close as the whole of VM surrounded the terrified tiefling that visibly relaxed even as she was hemmed in on all sides.  Breathing easier by the time they pulled apart, Zahra managed a watery smile she was quick to hide with a less than covert swipe of her hand across her eyes.  “Right, thanks for that dears, but we’re not exactly being subtle out here.”  Zahra stated, but the gratitude for the simple gesture was hard not to see etched on her face.

Grog summed up their thoughts with a joyful, “Well let’s go then.”

Needing no further encouragement than that, Emily could only smile, if grimly, as they made their way to the Iron City of Dis, home of the ‘orderly’ society to the local devils and their uneasy, mortal allies, although from what Pike, Percy, and Zahra told the rest of them either through the research they’d been able to do, or from horrific personal experience in Zahra’s case, calling mortals ‘allies’ was a very far stretch.  It was safer to say mortals were valuable commodities, in the most terrible way a corrupted soul could be considered as such at least.  The more a soul was corrupted before its eventual, likely untimely death, the more valuable it became to the beings residing in the Nine Hells.

“So everyone’s an arsehole here, but we can’t simply murder our way through.”  Emily surmised as they laid eyes on the central, omnipresent tower that seemed to move and shift to forever be in their field of vision no matter how they tried to turn about once they were in the city proper.  The stone and metallic structures on every side were about what she’d come to expect by this point, covered in spikes, crudely constructed in some cases, while others were much more….ornate was the best word that came to mind.  Whatever the case, it was clear most people here only had one thing on their mind with the wickedly barbed hooks hanging from market facades, horrific rusty looking spikes covered in crimson, and the same, pervasive heat that made even Emily uncomfortable despite the cold, connection to the Void that had the mark on her hand glowing even through the thick leather fingerless glove she wore.

“More or less, but we should be able to simply ask around,” Percy said, drawing Emily from her inspection of their surroundings at the same time, “someone here will likely be more than happy to help us out if we make it convenient for them.  I’d not sign anything, agree to anything, or even shake someone’s hand without _very_ carefully going over every little feasible detail you can think of.”

“Well if we do need anything signed, I am quite good at reading and signing contracts.”  Taryon happily boasted, far too loudly for most of their tastes.  “I’ve done so many times back home, and I’ve been told I have quite good handwriting.”

“You can’t.  You’re already exclusive to Vox Machina, which means you can’t sign anything else without nulling and voiding your contract with us.”  Percy was quick to explain.

Pulling out the papers in question, Emily could only raise an eyebrow as Taryon quickly perused the packet between his hands, and nod his head before saying, “Ah, so I see.  Good to know!  Well, I can at least assist in such legal matters if nothing else.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”  Zahra stated, far more calmer now than she’d been before.  “We still need to figure out what we’re doing for lodgings if nothing else because, no offense, but I doubt we’ll be in and out of here in a single night, not with your track record especially.”  The little sly smirk she threw over her shoulder only added to the amused snorts and playful sarcastic remarks the group threw back in response.

It wasn’t until Keyleth glanced behind them, spotting what at first glance appeared to be a tiefling and a dwarven companion as they continued down a somewhat crowded street, that she realized they were being followed when the pair turned the same corner some moments later.  Tapping at the earring, the druid whispered, “We’re being followed.  I have an idea, Emily?  Walk with me?”

“Alright.”  Emily whispered back before slowing her stride to match Keyleth’s as the druid trailed behind the rest of the group, her gaze having fallen on a nearby store front that was selling….meat she didn’t want to even consider where it’d come from.  As expected, the ‘tiefling’ and the ‘dwarf’, which upon closer inspection were not at all what they were since the demon woman was far more demonic than Zahra, with horns pierced with gold and diamond and completely wrapped in chains from the neck down, while the stout fellow at her heel looked like someone had melted him down a bit and stuffed a number of jagged horns, spikes, and a ‘beard’ that writhed and squirmed with a life of its own, kept coming right for them.

Having gone the extra mile earlier to disguise most of the more ‘human’ members of the group with various illusion and transmutation spells, Keyleth, her skin a rather pretty dark blue with horns curling back behind her head and a pair of red, coal like eyes, turned to the pair, her face an imperious mask that would’ve been right at home on Emily’s own.  “Why do you follow us?”  She asked simply.

The devil woman nodded her head towards Vax before her eyes fell on an undisguised Pike moments later.  “Are they for sell?  The white one is...especially valuable to the right people.”  Vax, having disguised himself as an albino tiefling, frowned, a hand already straying for the daggers at his belt, while Pike gripped her large maul more tightly.

“No, they are not, and you would do well to mind how you address your betters!”  Emily, having seen Keyleth transform before many times now, was almost as surprised as the two devils as the druid became something else.  Her tiefling appearance became increasingly devilish, two red skinned wings tipped with talons jutting from her back while her already beautiful face became more so, yet there was a much more malevolent air about the way she smiled, aided further by the sharp little teeth that filled her mouth.  “They’re part of my collection, but if you want to become a part of it, I’m sure I can make...arrangements.”  The sheer evil delight that one word contained was just overkill by that point as both devils fell back on their heels before the chained ‘woman’ hurriedly shook her head.

“N-no, that won’t be necessary Mistress.  W-we were just curious.”  Turning around, neither saw Emily had since sunk into the ground, having initiated Shadow Walk, until she formed in front of them as the smoky, skeletal wraith.

“Did she say you could leave?!”  Having rarely spoken in this form, Emily was glad her voice was still as menacing and cold as she remembered from when she had threatened Vox Machina that first day as both devils fell to their knees before her, utterly terrified at having so clearly closed far more powerful adversaries than they were ready to handle.  “You’re going to help us find a place of rest, or my Mistress will happily….claim you for her own amusement.”  While it was...difficult with no visible eyelids, Emily threw Keyleth her best wink, her death like visage never wavering as she gazed down at the two devils between them.

“Hoooooly shit!”  Grog gushed once they had left the two devils to clean themselves up once they’d gone their own way, having been informed of several ‘mortal friendly’ establishments within easy walking distance of the central market they’d stumbled upon.  Both Keyleth and Emily shared a conspiratorial if slightly embarrassed grin between them at the praise written all over the goliath’s face.  “That was the most awesomest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”

“I have to agree, that was very quick thinking on your parts.”  Zahra added, her fear completely forgotten for the moment as she grinned approvingly at the pair.  “I never thought I’d say this, but you were incredibly alluring as your shadowy, Void enshrouded self.”

The heated, amused gleam in Zahra’s eyes had Emily pulling at the hem of her high necked collar of her coat.  “I’m glad you so clearly approve, but as is often the case, I don’t think I can do that again in a hurry.”  The loud growl of her stomach put credence to her previous claims that her Shadow Walk burned more energy than she liked to think about, but she didn’t otherwise complain as they pressed on.

Finding one of the inns and taverns they’d been directed towards, Emily raised an eyebrow when her eyes fell on the rather handsome devil of a man lounging comfortably at a table cloth covered round table near a darkened corner of the main hall they were soon assembled within.  His gaze immediately found hers, and Emily couldn’t help but flush for some reason even as the mark on her hand seemed to tingle in warning before she shook her head, clearing it of whatever….affect he’d had on her.  He merely shrugged to himself, his dark eyed gaze having since moved to the rest of Vox Machina.

Percy, having noticed the exchange, stepped forward, his gray tiefling visage filling the devil’s vision while making sure he kept himself between them, a thought shared by the twins and Zahra even as Emily stepped forward.  “I’m fine by the way.”  Emily muttered towards the group, appreciating their concern even as their overprotective natures took front and center stage.

“It’s not every day I get someone like her here.”  The devilish innkeeper stated, as if it were all the same thing to him one way or the other.  “Someone likes you.”

Emily’s brown eyes narrowed to slits as she let her marked hand fall to the sword on her belt, a subtle threat that didn’t go unnoticed by the devil before them.  “I’ve been told that a number of times.”

“Please, I am but a businessman, there is no need for that, god touched.”  Vax’s feathered pauldron covered shoulders shifted ever so silently as he positioned himself on Emily’s right while Vex stared daggers on her left.  The innkeeper merely shrugged again, but nodded in understanding that mentioning the mark on her hand or what it meant further was not a good idea.

“At least we know for sure deception won’t work here.”  Sitting down after confirming what most of the group had already guessed by that point, Percy folded his hands on the table’s surface and nodded amicably to the innkeeper before them, while pointedly ignoring the way everyone was ready to make a mess of the few patrons and employees in the establishment.  “So since we’re being brutally honest with each other, we’re actually hoping you might be willing to help us out with a….problem we have.”

“Speak your piece.”  The innkeeper replied, and while he didn’t make it apparent, the more perceptive of the group could tell he was intrigued by Percy’s introduction.

“We’re looking for a rakshasa that’s been...troublesome, for two of our group.  He goes by the name of Hotis.”

Understanding dawned immediately on the devil’s red skinned face as he folded his long fingered hands beneath his smooth, softly rounded chin.  “I know of this rakshasa, and where he is likely located if you’ve...dealt with him already.  You wish to...deal with him in a much more permanent fashion.”  There was no mistaking as to what he meant by that, but Percy nodded anyway, confirming why they’d come so far.  The innkeeper flashed surprisingly straight, perfectly white teeth, his handsome face shifting from all business to something approaching a dark warmth at having found an opening to strike a bargain.

“Exactly.  We’d rather have this little cycle of vengeance ended, sooner rather than later, and we’re willing to exchange favors, provided we’re able to reach our target before he can reconstitute himself.”

“A simple matter, and I actually happen to have something I need done.”  With a seemingly casual wave of one hand, the door to the tavern slammed shut of their own accord, and Ipkesh, as they soon found out, relaxed visibly as he said, “The Whispered Ones that patrol the city don’t need to hear every conversation that’s held among...patrons of a similar mind.”

“A completely legitimate concern for a venerable businessman.”  Percy replied smoothly.  “So what did you wish to discuss in terms of this favor we’re asking for?”

“There is a pit fiend by the name of Utagesh.”  Ipkesh began before leaning forward, his hands spreading along the table’s surface as his glowing eyes affixed firmly on Percy’s face, “I want him dead.”

“Ah, is that all?  Well that’ll be easy enough for us I imagine.  I assume he’s guarded, powerful, prepared for such an attempt?”  Percy asked, to which Ipkesh leaned back and smiled subtly.

“Your confidence is staggering, but Utagesh, despite his strength, is gluttonous, arrogantly confident to the point of stupidity, and utterly devoted to his own delights over anything else.  He’s allowed himself to become fat, slothful, and slow, but he is still quite strong in other ways and his fortress is well protected.  Thankfully, most of his guards and personal servants are scattered about the city, but he’ll still have a small number around his person.”

“We’ve killed a pit fiend before.”  Vex stated with such strength that nobody, not even Emily, who’d not seen the beast in question, didn’t doubt her.  “This one will be no different.”

“Before we get into that, what guarantee do we have that we’ll be able to reach our target once we’ve done as you asked?  That we’ll even be able to get to Hotis’s cell?”  Asked a flinty eyed Zahra as she hovered over Percy’s right shoulder with Grog taking up the left.  Of the two, Emily couldn’t help but smile as Ipkesh’s eyes seemed to linger on the warlock, considering her the more dangerous of the two.

“Raising a fuss in the city, such as killing a somewhat important pit fiend like my master for instance, will have you moved to the prison where you...mortal types are often held as you’re corrupted, by force, as is often the case for unclaimed beings such as yourselves.”  Ipkesh explained as he leaned comfortably in his seat even as his gaze shifted away from Zahra’s darkening visage.  “It’s here that your rakshasa can be found.  And since Hotis is not a direct part of the hierarchy, even fewer people will care as to what happens to him.”

“Succubi, incubi, and rakshasas are….outside the general state of affairs in the Hells.”  Pike offered as an aside for Emily’s benefit before quickly adding towards Ipkesh, “So we kill this pit fiend, we get arrested, and we find our way to Hotis from there, correct?”  When Ipkesh nodded, Pike continued forward, all business, “Alright, but we’re going to need to be very clear on a few things.”

“Of course, I would expect nothing less from such skilled and well traveled individuals as yourselves.”  The next several minutes were spent with Emily, Zahra, and Percy hashing out a very explicitly, very clearly worded contract between themselves and Ipkesh, who was all too if quietly happy to do business.

The first draft was less than appealing to Emily, and she made it known after snatching away the scroll that Percy had been holding up before his spectacled eyes until that moment.  “We’re going to require a guide, first off.  But while that’s not what has me...concerned, I am however quite upset by the little omission of any assurances or promise to see us safely, and unspoiled, to the prison cell Hotis is located within.”

“I can promise you safe passage to the prison itself, and a guide to tell you the way, but my reach only extends so far.”  Ipkesh countered gently, to which Emily nodded, letting it go, for the most part.

“Which means we’ll have to find our own way from there, that’s fair.”  She verbally added, before letting her gaze fall to another worrisome part of the contract that had caught her attention.  “Since this is a prison and we need to kill Hotis with more than harsh language, we’ll also need our equipment and weapons, also unspoiled and untampered with, delivered to our persons as soon as you can hopefully manage.”

“That I can arrange.”  Ipkesh promised as he gently took the contract from Emily’s grasp before casually waving a finger along the scroll.  The writing changed, burning away the words already there as wisps of smoke curled up and away, before revealing the requested addendums.  “So long as you do not let any trace of this….endeavor, lead its way back to me, we should have no problem, assuming you survive of course.”

“We had assumed as much, but again it’s always good to have it in writing.”  Percy replied agreeably while at the same time assuring Ipkesh that they’d do their best not to get him implicated in the entire sordid affair.  Before he could think about signing the paper, Zahra snatched it away this time, leaving him to blink in mild surprise and confusion.

“And what guarantee do we have that you won’t later orchestrate a situation that we have little choice but to activate these pacts?”  Asked an admittedly paranoid, if rightfully so, Zahra as her silver eyes bore holes through Ipkesh’s face.  “Assuming we even agree to this at all, I’m not particularly trusting of demons or devils of any kind, call me personally biased like that.”

“You’re wise not to, but I have no need or desire to trick you now or in the future.”  Ipkesh replied, the first hint of anger flickering across his face at the suggestion he wasn’t happy with Zahra’s choice of words.  “I would prefer to have more….opportunities such as this, so deceiving you is, quite frankly, the last thing on my mind.”

While Zahra’s hard visage didn’t soften, the hand Emily put on the small of her back was enough for the warlock to hand the contract back to Percy without a word.  Breathing a little easier, he shared a grateful, subtle glance from the corner of his eyes with Emily before the gunslinger picked up the offered quill pen.  “Well, it’s been a pleasure Ipkesh.”  Percy said once he’d signed his full name, seeing no point to forging a fake name on such a soul binding contract as this.  “We’ll need to get a bit of rest before we’re ready for our little foray into Utagesh’s compound, but rest assured we’ll uphold our end.”

“I thank you, and of course.  I want you to succeed after all.”  Ipkesh replied, having returned to his earlier relaxed state as he leaned back into his chair, his fingertips touching together on both hands for a moment before he waved a hand towards one of his awaiting staff.  Another, much smaller imp, of sorts, waddled out before Ipkesh started to speak anew.  “My inn is yours.  Anything you need, feel free to ask myself or one of my staff.”

“Thank you for your hospitality good sir, and thank you for your business.”  Ipkesh bowed his head once more while Percy stood and led the way upstairs, to the second floor where a number of rooms awaited them.  Having been given a key to one of the bigger chambers, Percy wasn’t the only one that grimaced at the fact the beds were made of the same hot, uncomfortable looking rock as most of the city itself.  “That’s gonna be a problem.”

“We could at least pile a bunch of our old robes on top or something.”  Vax offered.

“If only we had Scanlan’s mansion.”  Pike mused, and immediately grimaced in discomfort at the clearly uncomfortable memory Emily had only gotten a hint of from Keyleth the other day, albeit it’d been passing.  “St-still,” she began once she’d gotten the lump in her throat swallowed back down, “we’ll figure it out I’m sure.  What I’m worried about is that contract you’ve signed Percy.”

Percy patted the gnome cleric on the shoulder as he passed and sat down at one of the few tables that were situated within the large chamber as he pulled out the copy of the contract Ipkesh had been happy to give him before they’d left the bottom floor while Grog pulled out a large chunk of uncooked boar meat from what Emily at first took to be a duffel bag of some kind.  A quick glance inside revealed that, much like the Bag of Holding, this one seemed much bigger than should’ve been normally possible, except the duffel bag gave off an unusual amount of coldness when it was opened, which Vex was quick to take advantage of as she all but shoved her face into the bag with a drawn out sigh of relief.  “Right…”  Percy said once he’d taken in the sight of the ranger bent over so awkwardly, before turning his gaze back to the contract.  “Basically, as far as I can see at least, all we have to worry about is not activating the second and third pacts before the one who signed dies.  So long as that happens, I’ll be fine and again as far as I can see, there’s no hidden clauses or loopholes that say you’ll be affected in any shape or form by this deal.”

When she sat down with Zahra to give it one last look, Emily took the offered paper from Percy’s hand as their gazes swept over the page as best they could.  “I don’t know of any reason I’d ever agree to summoning devils, but if this was able to be used in my home world, there’s a few Abbeys I’d love to see brought down.”  Emily stated softly, remembering well the things she’d seen during her journey to Karnaca and back the few times she had had run ins with the Overseers.  “But something tells me it’d be an even worse mistake, inviting this kind of trouble on the good people of Gristol.”

“Glad to hear you’re not so eager to unleash untold horror and chaos on your Empire.”  Zahra muttered but managed a tired, weak smile as she took the contract next, far more gently than she had from Percy, and pursed her lips into a thin tight line.  “Ugh, and now I’m reminded why I hated dealing with the Infernal bastards as a child, even if it was my father making most of the deals through me.  Still, I agree with what you’ve already deduced Percy, they’re honest about their intentions, it’d be bad for business otherwise.  And since souls are power for these….people, they need business to continue uninterrupted.  Although, generally bad individuals still end up down here, but they’re not the same as a soul that’s willingly submitted to such corruption.”

“I’m so glad we invited you along Zahra.”  Pike said as she smiled humorously up into Zahra’s face.  “You have a way with putting things into such perspective.”

“Your sarcasm is welcome dear.”  Sighing contently despite her very clear and remaining discomfort, Zahra managed a small, more open smirk at the cleric’s remark.  “Still, it’s about as ironclad as you can get I suppose.  Ipkesh might be a cambion, a literal bastard child of an incubus or a succubus, but he’s probably one of the few I’d even think to deal with now that I’ve met him.”  Handing the contract over to Percy, who promptly made it disappear into his blue coat, Zahra turned to Grog and said, “Grog dear?  Do you have any more of that fancy wine left?  I think I need to get good and truly drunk.”

Looking up from the boar meat he’d since slapped down onto the very hot rock floor, the smell of the very well done meat soon filled the air as Grog said, “Uh yeah, I got all kinds of shit in this thing.  Fancy wine, a couple casks of ale.  Whatcha in the mood for?”

“Anything but that bloody Sand Keg.”  Zahra flatly stated, her tone making it clear she wouldn’t be dissuaded up until she turned and remembered another promise she’d made with a certain royal assassin.  “On second thought Grog, just the wine and some of that well cooked boar meat will do.  And do you happen to have a couple of candles in that Bag of Holding dear?  I think that romantic dinner in Hell will happen after all.”

“Wow Zahra, you’re really putting the moves on my engagement gift aren’t you?”  Vex quipped, earning a number of laughs from the others.

“I distinctly remember someone saying that if it’s not in writing, it won’t be happening.”  Vax was quick to counter, although whether he was jumping to Emily’s defense or trying to stave off more embarrassment, it was hard to say in that particular moment.

“Not to mention it was coerced somewhat.”  Emily was quick to add, but she went ignored by Vex as she rounded on her brother in the same instant.

“Says you!  I have witnesses to our verbal agreement!”  Protested Vex, which, naturally, prompted the twins to devolve into animated bickering between the two of them while the rest of the group let them have their sibling spat.

Emily for her part could only shake her head and smile at Zahra’s choice of phrase even as she nodded approvingly a moment later to the woman’s proposed plan of action.  She had offered to have an honest dinner with the tiefling, although romance hadn’t exactly been on her mind at the time.  Still, she wasn’t going to complain, even when Percy rolled his eyes and chuckled as he got up to help better cook the boar meat currently on the floor, pulling out his gun as he went.  She watched as the gunslinger let the barrel of his weapon rest against the very hot ground for several seconds before pressing it directly into the large chunk of meat, whistling a tune as he went along with the heated metal so that it was much more evenly cooked.

Zahra meanwhile accepted the candles Grog had pulled out of the bag and set a couple of them at the center of the table, smirking quietly all the while as Emily simply watched over the rim of a goblet the goliath had handed to her about the same time.  “You’re enjoying this far too much Zahra.”

“Am I?  I couldn’t tell.”  She teased, her glowing silver orbs making it clear she was well aware of this fact and was making absolutely no apologies for it.  Not that Emily was about to complain or take away from the older woman’s enjoyment, especially since it was clearly helping her to not dwell on the fact she was literally surrounded by the stuff of her childhood nightmares.

That didn’t stop Emily from commenting of course while Pike and the others gave the pair some distance out of a mix of respect, and barely contained glee in some cases.  “This is at least a large step up from the usual, boring state dinners I’ve been forced to attend through my years as an Empress.  The atmosphere could certainly use some work, but the company’s far more pleasant since you and they are far less concerned with the petty squabbles I had to deal with day in and day out among the so called _nobility_.”

“I _am_ considered noble in certain circles.” Zahra informed her, the gleeful gleam in her silver eyes impossible to miss. “My cousin’s family owes quite a bit of real estate, although Lilith is the only decent person on that side of the family.”  Zahra shrugged since it was a very old story, and while Emily was genuinely curious, she didn’t get a chance to ask right off as Percy, a less than subtle little grin plastered all over his face, kindly set down a couple of plates with a couple good chunks of well cooked boar meat while Grog filled their respective goblets before leaving the bottle between them before leaving them to it.

Savoring the taste, Emily nodded approvingly towards the goliath, who quietly beamed and grinned cheerfully at the silent praise before he too backed away with Percy and the others.  Having since returned her gaze to Zahra, Emily paused and asked, “I don’t remember if you ever told me where you’re even from, Lady Hydris.”  She smirked a little when Zahra snorted and shook her head at the ‘title’.

“Piss on that Emily, it’s Zahra to you.”  Countered a deeply amused Zahra before she took a sip of her wine.  “Mmm...As for where I’m from, it was just a dark wizard’s castle in the middle of Wildmount, a continent apart from Tal’Dorei’s shores.  I eventually found my way to Vassalheim, as I think I mentioned once before, but not before learning how to take care of myself.  Once I had gotten myself a new patron of course.”

“Your moon to my Outsider.”  Zahra nodded at the remark, although it hadn’t exactly been the moon itself that she drew her power from, but rather a spirit or entity closely tied to the celestial body in question she was quick to clarify for Emily’s sake.  It was a welcome explanation though, especially since the royal assassin had already realized during their last in-depth conversation that she could listen to Zahra talk for hours on end without complaint.  Glancing down at the mark on her hand as she prepared to take another sip from her own glass, Emily sighed heavily, tiredly, especially since it refused to go dull.  “It’s never done that before, but it simply reinforces my desire to see it removed, my ‘deal’ null and voided from the Outsider.”

“It’s not an easy thing to accomplish just from what my research and personal experience, and it was difficult enough to void my own unwanted pact from the demon my father had forced upon me.”  Zahra shuddered at the memory, but the look on her face was at least unchanged for the most part as she steadied herself with a much deeper gulp from the wine in her glass.  “I wouldn’t even know how to go about helping you do the same since yours is a near divine entity.  He’s no god, but that’s not to say he wouldn’t give one of the lesser deities a run for their gold coins.”

“It’s alright Zahra, it was ultimately my choice, so the consequences are mine to bear.”  Emily replied with a firm if gentle shake of her head.  “I wouldn’t want you to anger him further in any event.”

“Your concern’s touching Emily, but you were magnanimous enough to go to literal Hell for me.  That’s not something I can forget easily.”  Before the heat in Emily’s cheeks could begin to completely overtake her entire face, Zahra was quick to ‘cough’ uncomfortably at having said something so emotionally charged and said, “I’m sure I’m ‘ahem’, not the only one curious, but what’s this Abbey you mentioned?”

Strangely grateful and saddened by the sudden change of subject, Emily breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, needing a moment to center her thoughts before she trusted herself enough to answer.  While it wasn’t exactly a happy topic, Emily was at least content to share what she could about the Abbey and the Overseers that ran the pseudo religion.  All the while though, Emily couldn’t help but think about the few moments Zahra’s mask had completely fallen away, revealing the truly beautiful woman underneath.

 **End Notes:**  Not my best work, especially since I kept having to try and check on much older chapters and stuff to make sure everything fit neatly together, but even then I’m not sure I was able to get it all to work as I intended.  Still, I did at least okay I think and I hope you guys and gals are able to enjoy in either event.  Here’s hoping the next update doesn’t take quite as long lol.  See ya!


	21. Discord In Dis

**Chapter 20**

**Discord In Dis**

Between scrying on where Hotis was currently located, finding out that he was indeed still trying to pull himself together, and running a few last minute errands before going to bed on a pile of old clothes and blankets in an effort to stave off some of the heat from the rocky stone floor and the ‘beds’, Emily and the others woke up...rested, but it hadn’t been the best night’s sleep by any means.  Taryon, true to form, had had Doty plant himself against the door for most of the night on the off chance someone decided to pay them a late night visit.  So it was Emily woke up that morning with the mechanical soldier standing over her, sketchbook once more in hand.  If not for the simple fact she’d grown used to the strange construct’s presence, she might have very well removed Doty’s head from its shoulders before throwing the remains at Taryon’s feet.

Instead, Emily glared up into the construct’s face, glad she was sleeping alone, and watched as Doty made some adjustments to whatever it was drawing before walking away to Tary’s side.  Shaking her head, Emily stretched and sighed as she swung her legs over.  About that time she saw Pike too had started to stir, and she stopped, surprised to see the powerful cleric without her armor.  Not only that, but the simple white nightshirt she wore did little to conceal the scar in the center of Pike’s chest.

It was too upraised for it to be a mere sword slash.  If anything, the mark looked like something had gotten hooks into Pike’s skin and had tugged in opposite directions.  While there were others, this one felt...important to Emily for a reason she couldn’t immediately place.  Catching her staring, Pike sighed but nodded, silently confirming the unspoken question that must have been all over Emily’s face.  “Do you….mind if I ask what happened?”  Emily asked aloud, her voice whisper soft more in an effort to allow the others to rest uninterrupted for as long as possible.

“Oh, it’s a bit of a long story.”  Pike replied with a shrug and a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes even as a hand went to the mark she’d caught sight of.  Having turned to start putting herself together for the day, she could feel Emily’s gentle if insistent gaze on her back.  Knowing she was being...rude, let alone stalling for time, Pike sighed and glanced over one shoulder as she pulled out her powerful full plate, jewel encrusted armor they’d managed to get from a fire giant in the City of Brass.  But talking about the day she too had died, once, the first time in fact, wasn’t so easy to think about.  “It wasn’t long after I met Vox Machina, or long after Percy became a part of the group in fact.  The city of Emon, specifically, Sovereign Uriel and his family, had endured a number of strange happenings and we got into the middle of it.  During our investigation into everything, we ran into a powerful demon, not a devil but a demon from the Abyss called a glabrezu.  Think of a giant, sapient beetle like demon that has no qualms about torturing its victims before finally killing them, and you’d have a good idea of what we came up against.”

The cold discomfort that went down her spine was matched only by the slightly pained, scared, she’d dare even say hollowed look to Pike’s eyes, but it came and went so fast that if she’d blink, Emily was sure she’d have missed it.  Either way, Pike took a breath and sighed, the process of donning her Plate of the Dawn Martyr near automatic as she continued to talk while she worked.  “We did win, and the grand demonic plot that had begun to take shape in Emon was eventually thwarted, but the glabrezu pulled me apart before our fight with it was over.  Afterwards, I was driven to become stronger, more….self sufficient, less of a liability, so I ended up spending some time on a sailing vessel, but there wasn’t a day that went by I didn’t think about everyone I had left behind despite the short amount of time I’d been with them.”  The long, drawn out look she threw towards Grog told Emily who she’d missed the most, but the fact she’d left even the goliath that she clearly saw as a brother behind was the more startling bit of Pike’s story.

Ignoring the fact she could now remember more of what the Outsider had revealed, that the Raven Queen had locked away for her sake, Emily, once she’d gotten herself together about the same time Pike had gotten the last of her armor locked into place, put a hand on the cleric’s shoulder before sighing heavily.  “I shouldn’t be here….what you did for me has never been done as far as I know in my world’s entire history, so the fact I’m still around is….it hasn’t been easy to come to terms with.  So much so that I’ve been trying not to think about it much, because that means I’ll have to accept yet another aspect of my life has been turned upside down.  But that you had such doubt eating at you after your own demise that you felt it necessary to leave, I’d have been surprised if you hadn’t left as you did, Pike.  But you’re doing better than I would’ve, because you actually came back after it was all said and done.”

“You would’ve came back.  You don’t give yourself enough credit, Emily.”  Pike assured her, but Emily wasn’t so sure on that.  Still, the cleric didn’t give her time to ponder it much before playfully nudging her side with one armored elbow once she’d turned to face her.  “And if you didn’t, we would’ve found you and dragged you back if that’s what it took.”

“I don’t doubt it.  Trying to slip away from you would’ve been pretty difficult between Keyleth’s ability to scry and Vex and Vax’s various skill sets.”

“And don’t you forget it.”  Pike commanded but smiled gratefully up towards the regal assassin when their eyes met.  Her smile faded somewhat, but the gleam in the gnome’s pretty eyes didn’t fade as she said, “Finding answers took time, and I was well aware of what most clerics like me can do what I do and much more besides.  But you’ll find yours, Emily, it’ll just take time.”

“And having good people like you, Grog, Vax, and Void help me, Vex, and all the rest of Vox Machina around.”  They shared a quiet, relieved laugh between them that did a lot to ease their respective minds.

When she started to walk away though, Pike surprised her with what she said next.  “Emily?  What you told Zahra about the Abbey of the Everyman and the bit you let slip with me during that incident in Vassalheim, are they really that bad as you said?”

It took her a moment to find the words, but when she did, Emily sounded more tired than angry over the question.  “I'll admit, due to the actions of the former High Overseer against Corvo, at the behest of the traitorous Burrows, I'm prejudiced towards the Abbey, against any organized religion really.  But to be honest, I feel my stance is justified against the Everyman religion specifically as they willingly turn to hypocrisy in what they preach if it suits their objectives.  And while they DO serve to keep black magic from overtaking my world, they don’t understand it, so they often end up doing more damage than they stave off due to their heavy handed approach, and even as they unite most people in common cause, they also have a tendency to divide them with how they ‘recruit’ new Overseers, let alone how they see anything not like them.  It’s why I haven’t made any offer to have you or the rest of Vox Machina to visit Dunwall, or the rest of the Empire for that matter.  What they’d do to you just because you’re not human, let alone that you practice a foreign, unusual form of magic and faith both, truly terrifies me, Pike.  The fact I have the Outsider’s mark would only make me a target if they ever found out, and my being an Empress wouldn’t save me from their wrath.”

Pike could only blink, unable to comprehend such blind devotion to the point of fanaticism as Emily had so clearly described.  That they apparently recruited new converts by all but kidnapping them from their beds, if she was reading Emily’s subtle word choice correctly, was only harder to believe for the truly good and generous woman.  Quicker than she had expected though, Pike shook off her dumbfoundment, her visage turning to stone.  “No wonder you didn’t like me at first with that kind of religious group waiting for you back home, Emily.”

“It wasn’t  _ you  _ that bothered me, Pike.”  Emily was quick to clarify, but since her faith in her goddess was so important to her, it’d been difficult to separate the two, something Pike understood but didn’t comment on before Emily said, “But yes, it...wasn’t easy at first, to see you without seeing an Overseer and all that they represented.  I was never a believer, I might have said the words and attended services when it was required, but I could never believe in their religion.  Most of the Seven Strictures are merely common sense things in any event, but with what I know of how the Abbey of the Everyman truly operates and again my personal bias playing a factor, I’m honestly surprised we didn’t have more problems than what we did, Pike.  That should tell you just how much of a friend I consider you to be, and not just because yours was the first face I saw in Veshrah after being rescued, or the one that would later bring me back from death itself.”

Feeling ashamed to have admitted as much, Emily half expected Pike not to say a word or to at least walk away.  What happened was the gnome clanking her way around to the assassin’s front and smiling up into Emily’s face, no trace of the expected anger or sadness visible in Pike’s big blue eyes.  “You have nothing to be ashamed about, Emily.  Without doubt, how can there be any wonder?  Besides, I kinda figured some of this out already after that talk we had before those lizards tried to kill us all.  I simply waited and I made sure I was around when you needed me, and you didn’t disappoint.”

“You’re a truly good woman, Pike.  Thank you, for proving through example not all who believe as strongly as you do are worthy of distrust and contempt.”

“You’re more than welcome Ems.  I try my best.”  While there was a playful note in Pike’s voice, the near motherly warmth was impossible not to hear as she walked away to get the rest of her equipment together.  A warmth Emily was happy to hold onto for as long as she could as she too got the last of her stuff together.  By then, the rest of Vox Machina had started to get moving for the day, and it didn’t take long for Pike and Keyleth to cheerfully summon another Heroes’ Feast for them all.

Empowered and invigorated by the wonderful, bountiful feast, the group quickly departed, Ipkesh’s promised guide darting between the buildings of the city of Dis as they followed as silently as they could.  If not for Grog carrying Pike on his shoulders again, Emily was pretty sure they’d have been discovered three blocks into their trek.  As it was, outside of a near disastrous slip up on Percy’s part that had two of the winged, golden armored imps landing nearby to investigate the noise of the gunslinger tripping over his own feet, their journey to Utugash’s compound went smoothly.  They had to leave one imp dead on the side of a wall, tangled up in a bag of tar Taryon had thrown at the beast, while the other Emily yanked down with Far Reach before slitting its throat, but no one else came to investigate, much to their collective relief.

Finding a large, barb wire tangled mess of a fence leading into the complex, Taryon pointed his enchanted rod at the opening and said, once they were sure no one else was around, “Doty, be a friend and pry the bars apart?”  Before they could stop him or to dissuade the clockwork construct, Doty had already grabbed the bars of the barbed wire covered fence, and began to pull them apart.

“Keep it down!”  Emily and Vax hissed at the same time, but luck was with them as most of the group glanced uncertainly towards what passed for the sky, half expecting the entire city’s Whispered population to come flying down upon them.  Thankfully, none of them seemed to have noticed, and they were able to slip inside, where Doty quickly put the bars back where the way they’d been.  As much as she wanted to grab Taryon by the front of his chest and shake him to death for having put them all at risk, Emily bit her tongue, and turned away before she could change her mind.

“Sorry…”  He whispered once she had started away, but whatever response she might have let slip was cut off when he peeled off a patch from his robe, and smirked as he pressed the patch against the wall of the building itself.  When he did, a seam appeared where there hadn’t been, and was all but grinning by the time the door he’d created opened inward, allowing them to pass into the room beyond.  “Your Imperial Majesty, would this do as an ample apology?”

Before anyone could respond to that, a gruff, womanly scream poured out of the now open ‘doorway’.  Without needing to be told, Emily was nearly the first person through the door, her footfalls completely silent as she and Vax led the way with Zahra, Vex, and the rest bringing up the rear.  What awaited them was more of the same, with hooks hanging from the ceiling, the chains covered with bits and long, bloody strands of flesh.  Two halves of a human body, mangled beyond recognition, were spread out across an iron table some distance away.  The walls and shelves, as well as a number of workbenches, were covered in various torture implements, making more than a few of them think of a nightmare version of Percy’s workshop back at Whitestone.

It was the gray, powerfully built bone devil, a long, barbed stinger pulling free of the dwarf’s neck in that moment, and another, much more burly red skinned cambion, the latter busy dragging a serrated knife across a bound dwarf woman’s shoulder, that had Emily’s undivided attention however.  She didn’t slow down her stride as one hand flashed to the sword on her belt, the other going for the handkerchief mask as she pulled it up over her face.  The bone devil looked up just in time to see his companion gurgle and sputter up black ichor, Emily’s sword jutting out of his neck.  Realizing the mortal danger it was in, the bone devil had only begun to turn before three daggers and two arrows slammed into its body in the same moment, pinning it against the wall behind it where it quickly went still.

Pike had since clambered down from Grog’s shoulder to the mercifully unconscious dwarven woman, her shield and maul at the ready until she was standing by the bound stranger’s form.  As much as Pike’s first instinct was to heal the manacled dwarf, she allowed Vax to check her for evil intent.  Once he was satisfied, he nodded before stepping away to look around for any further trouble with Vex, Fenthras in hand, kept close to Pike and Emily as the former healed the dwarf.  The effect was immediate as the dwarf opened her eyes, relief flooding her immediately from the powerful healing magic suffusing her from head to foot.  “Huh.  Thanks.”  Gruff and direct, the dwarf shrugged her newly mended shoulder as she glanced at where the dagger had been previously residing.  Instead of the series of shallow but agonizing gashes, there were only little scars to say she’d ever been hurt at all as the rest of her wounds knitted closed with the same speed.  “Who the fuck are you?”

“An opportunity.”  Percy stated as he walked purposefully around the table on the dwarf’s other side.  “If you’re willing, we can get you out of here, but we do have business with the one in charge, and we’d prefer not to have the alarm raised for as long as possible.”

The dwarf raised one, red haired eyebrow, her auburn locks shot with streaks of gray, damp with sweat while most of her face was covered in old scars and blood, and shrugged again.  “Okay.”  With that, she did her best to raise one manacled hand, only for the strong chain to hold her down.  “Do you mind?”  She asked, her tone as dry as mummy’s dust.

“Blunt, I can respect blunt.”  Percy informed her before nodding to Vax and Vex.  Without a word needing to be said, the twins set their weapons aside just long enough to produce lockpicks between them before, in synchronized fashion, they quickly unlocked the dwarf’s manacles with ease.

“Thanks.  Name’s Tova.”  Tova introduced herself as she rubbed at her previously bound wrists, the stocky, short if powerfully built woman hopping off the torture table’s surface.  Wearing little more than a torn, ragged looking leather bra and loincloth, Tova frowned in annoyance as she glanced around.  “You don’t happen to have a spare weapon I can use?  Kinda feel naked without my giant maul.”

“I have a spare greatsword ya want it, it might be a bit big for you though.”  Grog said, one large gray hand already disappearing into his Bag of Holding.

Tova smirked up into the goliath’s face and said, “I’ll manage, I’m pretty strong.”  Grog’s near face encompassing grin was followed by him handing over a large, curved greatsword over to the dwarf, who, surprisingly, was able to swing it with relative ease as she brought it up to rest against one bare shoulder.  “That’s much better.”

Nodding respectfully to the dwarf, Emily glanced towards the door, and darted away in the next moment.  The rest of the group had their answer when they saw her rip the door open, surprising the small, lightly armored imp on the other side as he froze, reaching for the door handle.  Flicking her eyes to its fellow further down the hallway as well as another winged demon woman, the first imp had only started to flap its wings in an effort to jump back only to have the assassin’s sword tip find a new home in its right eye and into its brain.  Both imps fell dead, a similar slash opening up in the other imp’s head as Domino took effect, but the erinyes remained untouched, much to Emily’s immense shock, her brown eyes wide as saucers.  “That’s never happened bef-”

“Down!”  The twins shouted, snapping Emily out of her mental paralysis just as the winged devil took off.  Obeying without thinking, Emily felt one of Vex’s arrow whiz right past her right cheek as she ducked down, while Vax threw Whisper right over her head in the same instant.  Vex’s arrows found the erinyes first, slowing her down for a split second, but it was enough for Vax’s dagger to slam into her side, where the rogue appeared in the next instant.  Wasting no time, his other two daggers were soon sheathed in the devil’s chest before it could bring its longsword to bear.

Snapping her arm up, Emily used Far Reach to drag the erinyes back to her waiting sword, pulling her free of the rogue’s reach.  The moment she landed in front of Emily, Tova was there to greet her, the long, curved sword slicing right through the creature’s neck before Emily could stab upward with her father’s blade.  “Neat trick.”  Stated a quietly intrigued Tova as the devil fell to the side, propelled by the powerful swing of her sword.

“One didn’t work.”  Glancing at her hand, Emily couldn’t keep the astonishment from her voice.  “I’ve used Domino more times than I can count, yet that’s the first time it’s not taken everyone I’ve marked down.”

“Well she was a high level devil.”  Zahra said as she put a hand on Emily’s shoulder from behind.  “And most demons and devils both are much more resistant to most forms of magic, so it’s no surprise they might be resistant to some of yours.”

“That’s not a comfort.”  Still, Emily took the warning to heart.  That had been far too close.  “If that’s the case, my Dark Vision might not work against everything here either, but what I did see revealed what looked like a pile of flesh with a distended, ugly tooth filled face not far from here, as well as a much bigger winged devil sitting on a throne.”

“Ah, so that’s how you knew that erinyes was there!”  Taryon cheered as loudly as he dared, remembering the thunderous gleam in Emily’e eyes during the initial infiltration.  “I’d wondered if that was the case, but thanks for confirming it your Highness.”

“I was looking around for any trace of further opposition, but yes.  There’s also a number of those bone devils by the big one, but if there’s more, they’re either out of my range or I can’t detect them.”  Emily replied, having not intended to glance at the door at the moment she had, but she was glad she had now as she walked forward, leading the way to what Zahra called lemures.

Vax, despite being a very tense situation, was all smirks as he locked step with Emily.  “Good thing me and my sister are so good at using our actual eyeballs eh Ems?”  He chuckled softly when she rolled her eyes at him in retort but otherwise remained silent.  No sooner had the words left his mouth did Grog, who had since pushed ahead of the group with Pike on his shoulder once more, step down onto a pressure plate.  The wall at their right opened up, and a number of serrated spear tips slammed into the goliath’s side and into his arm, which he’d raised protectively around the gnomish cleric.

“Ow.”  Grog grumbled, far more annoyed than hurt despite being impaled in several places, blood flowing in crimson rivers from every wound.  Meanwhile, the spears retracted, but the wall remained down, revealing the trap for what it was now that it’d been spent.  “You didn’t see that coming.”  He shot towards Vax, who was quick to put his glowing hands on the goliath's body before Pike could do it herself.

“Then let me and Vex lead the way big guy.”  The rogue countered once he’d healed most of Grog’s wounds, leaving only a few small cuts behind.  “That’s what we’re here for after all.”

“Yeah Grog.”  Pike added, earning an embarrassed shuffle of Grog’s feet.

Turning the corner, Vax raised a hand and nodded his head towards another pressure plate before motioning Zahra forward.  “Psychic glyph.  Shouldn’t be too hard.”  A quick dispel from the warlock, and the floor glyph flared, the floor cracked, and the light died down with no consequence to any of the group.  Allowing herself a little smile, Zahra waved her staff to the door that contained the lemure, possibly more, while Vax and Vex took up flanking positions on either side.  Emily kept occasionally letting her eyes sweep over their immediate area with her Dark Vision, keeping an eye on those devil guards that she’d spotted as they made their patrols with none of them the wiser to their presence just yet.  With a nod from her, Vax opened the door, with Vex stepping into the doorway in the same instant the rogue darted inside.  The lemure never had a chance.

The erinyes on the other hand wasn’t so slow to respond as she jumped to her feet from a nearby desk, but by then the rest of the group had charged into the room.  Emily was the first to reach her, parrying aside the devil’s longsword, breaking her stance and forcing her to stumble back which left her open for a devastating followup from herself and Percy as he caught up in the next instant.  Swords flashed, blood splattered the iron and stone, and the erinyes quickly died between them.  “At least now I know for sure it’s not just Domino that doesn’t always work here.”  Emily informed the group, feeling only a little better over the fact they knew for sure now that her power wasn’t reliable in the Hells.  Remembering the barrier they had passed through, she had to wonder if perhaps that had played a part in what was happening now.  Whatever it was, she glanced at her still glowing hand again, and sighed before shaking her head.  “We’re almost to Utugosh’s chamber.  Would it be worth the effort to take out the bone devils first?”

“Probably, assuming we can find another way into where they are.”  Keyleth replied as she turned to Tova.  “Do you know anything about this place?”

“Nope.”  Tova replied, before looking to Emily next.  “I was kinda limited in where I could go, being tied to that table.  The only thing I saw was more hallway, but they went by too quick for me to really get an idea of where I was.  It didn’t help I’d already been torn into before being sold to Utagosh, who planned to corrupt my soul or something?  I honestly don’t know what’s going on around here.”

“Why are you even here?”  Vex asked, unable to keep the astonishment from her voice to save her life.

Tova shrugged and said.  “I came here with friends.  One of them….signed a deal with something here and we were trying to help him get out of his contract.  As you can see,” she gestured to the scars and the hundreds of cut she’d been covered in before Pike’s healing, “that didn’t go according to plan.”

“We couldn’t tell.”  Muttered a grouchy sarcastic Zahra as the tiefling stalked past, going right for the central chamber.  “Not to be rude, but I’d rather we got this over with.  If that bastard’s guards decide to get in the way, we kill them, simple as that.”  She stopped and sighed when she felt, once again, Emily’s hand on the small of her back, but Zahra wouldn’t be so easily mollified this time.  “I can’t be here anymore, Emily.  I want,  _ need  _ to get out of here.”  She said after three deep, tremulous breaths, her softly spoken terror audible to all within earshot.  Swallowing it back down was not easy, but Zahra took some measure of strength from the contact as she turned to glance at Emily.  “I’ll….I’ll be alright for a time yet.”

“We’ll be done soon.”  Emily promised before turning to the twins and the rest of the group.  They needed no further prompting as Vex darted forward with Vax, Taryon, and Keyleth darting down around the corner of the next hallway.  Grog, Doty once Taryon told the clockwork soldier to stay with the goliath, Pike, and Tova went for the nearest wall, with the goliath’s grin the last thing Emily saw as she brought up the rear of the first group.  The sound of stone and iron being crumpled inward from Grog’s massive fists blew stealth out the window, but that was the point as Emily watched the bone devils and who she assumed was Utagesh stir, the winged pit fiend craning his neck around towards the crumbling wall just as Grog burst through, his powerful blood axe soon in his hands.

As he was the first through the breach, Grog was the first to see the two pools of boiling blood on either side of Utagesh’s large, iron throne.  Despite large stone pillars supporting the central chamber’s high ceiling, the closest of them wasn’t in the way enough to prevent him to scan the rest of the chamber.  His gaze therefore soon fell on the river of molten blood that ran the length of the room behind the throne, cutting the room into two uneven halves, but it didn’t take long for his eyes to fall on Utagesh himself as the dust settled, with Pike and the rest of the group pouring into the chamber.  With a feral laugh and a mile wide grin, Grog started forward, with Pike hanging back to spread the word that the attack was about to begin.

Pike’s voice echoed through the earrings.  “We’re in, Tary?”

“Let’s get a window open!”  Was the man’s cheerful reply as he peeled off another patch from his robe.  Slapping it down, the wall peeled away as it had before with his door patch, and the new window swung upward, allowing Emily to stealthily slip inside just as Grog charged Utagesh down with a humanoid bear carrying a greatsword, following hot on his heels.  At the same time, Pike raised her glowing pendant to Sarenrae, and let fly a glowing, holy bolt that slammed into the pit fiend’s massive belly.

Without moving his mouth, Emily heard a deep, menacing growling voice burrow its way into her head as the pit fiend stood on large, clawed feet, its massive belly jiggling grotesquely as Utagesh picked up the single largest axe she had ever seen in her life.  “ **_Urgh!  Well….I see I have company...to pleasure!_ ** ”  The pit fiend growled, large, glowing red, fiery orbs having since fallen on the charging barbarian, his attention fully upon Grog and those that followed.  Seeing Tova, he’d just started to turn to her, his tusked mouth, full of sharp, razor sharp teeth, curling up into a feral grin at seeing his plaything, only to let out a grunt as Grog buried his own axe into the pit fiend’s back.  While the Guiding Bolt disappeared, the sight of such a large gash in Utagosh’s side was encouraging.

Encouraging enough that Tova was beaten by a nearly feral Zahra as she pointed her staff at Utagash, a spell falling from her lips.  Thrusting her moon gem capped staff forward, a beam of concentrated energy raced towards Utagesh, hitting the beast square in the face before the beam shifted into arcs of connecting electricity.  “Go back to the primordial  _ shit  _ you crawled out of!”  Zahra roared, pouring on the magic, making herself a target while her eyes flicking towards Emily as she and Vax disappeared into the shadows of the chamber while the rest of the group spread out around the fiend.

The two assassins needed no further prompting as Tova, having apparently transformed, began to glow with a crimson light before a strange, magical glyph appeared on the beast’s belly.  When he slashed one large, clawed hand towards the bear woman, Tova grunted as three slashes appeared across her chest, but she grinned as Utagesh looked down when three identical marks appeared on his own at the same time.  Filing it away for later, Emily glanced up with her Dark Vision, having sworn she heard the soft flap of wings, and glared when her eyes alighted on a pair of imps flying for specific sections of the wall.

Diving forward as a cage of heated metal, its interior covered in little sharp spikes fell from the ceiling, Emily rolled and glared at the imp responsible.  Flicking her eyes to both, Domino took hold, and while she hesitated only a moment with the knowledge it’d failed her once already, she glanced at Utagesh anyway before snapping her pistol up towards the closer of the flying bastards.  The two shots that followed were enough to completely obliterate the imp as it flew back to activate another trap.  It and its partner seconds later fell to the ground in bloody body parts, but Utagesh remained, unharmed and unmarked from Domino’s touch.

Vax, still making his way to Utagesh’s side, out of sight, threw Whisper, but didn’t follow with it as the curved dark dagger glowed with divine fury.  Two other daggers followed in the same breath, but it was the first that got the pit fiend’s attention as he growled and stumbled to the side, taken aback by how much it’d hurt, further staggered when Vex fired two arrows into his body from a new window that had appeared in one wall.  If he was worried, he didn’t show it as Utagesh’s lips curled up further into a sadistic grin before the ground around his massive bulk suddenly erupted into a wall of undulating fire.  Obscured and protected by the magical fire, Grog, Tova, and Doty, who had only just reached the pit fiend, were engulfed at the same instant, with the construct falling face first to the stone at Utagesh’s feet.  Grog and Tova were also burned, but Grog simply grinned, having gone into a full rage, his mouth foaming wildly as he growled and roared with every swing of his axe.  Tova was forced to back away before she was burned to a crisp, but whatever she ended up doing Emily never saw because the first of the bone devils swarmed into the room.

Percy was there to greet them from a pillar he’d walked up with his Spider Boots, his gun snapping up in a blur as he unloaded several rounds into the first two as Taryon charged, his rod having since been transformed into a lance.  Emily only spared the infuriated buffoon a passing glance as he disappeared into the flames, her focus drawn to the remaining bone devil as it raised its stinger to take a jab at Vax, a long, jagged spear raised and already in mid thrust.  Before it could though, the rogue found himself halfway across the room, a Doppelganger taking his place just in time to be impaled and poisoned by the bone devil.  Upon its ‘death’, the phantom copy disappeared, leaving a very confused devil to stare blankly at where its prey had once been standing.

Between one shot from Percy’s gun partially blinding it, and now this, it never saw Emily having Far Reached above its back.  Falling from the ceiling, Emily buried her father’s blade into the creature’s skeletal like form, earning a gurgling last breath as it fell to the unforgiving ground in a heap.  “And once again I’m glad you’re on our side Ems!”  Vax whispered through the earring as he slunk off into the shadows once more while Emily darted towards Utagesh with the rest of her newfound family.

Skidding to a stop as a sudden burst of bright, vibrant sunlight filled the room, Emily gave a surprised, startled cry more from the sudden appearance than the expected pain that never came her way, while Utagesh, despite being shielded by his flames, roared and clawed at his half melted face as Keyleth aimed her staff towards him.  Zahra’s spell continued to slowly eat away at his body, but even with their combined assault, his fire wall refused to disappear.  Something he took advantage of as his tail lashed out suddenly, and slammed into Taryon’s chest plate with enough force to push him back into the fire about the same time he lashed out at Pike who’d gotten in close to try and help her beleaguered allies.

Taryon gave a yelp despite the flames not doing quite as much damage, but the follow up axe swing wasn’t so easily ignored as it slammed into his side, the large head bursting into dark flame before it connected.  Again the fire didn’t hurt as much as it should’ve, but the noble idiot still wound up flat on his back just outside the wall of flame while Pike found one large fist slamming into her head from above.  Disoriented from the thunderous blow, Pike might’ve been in more trouble except Emily had since used one of her two remaining Doppelgangers to get her out of harm’s way, leaving a slightly surprised Utagesh to stare down at the Void created copy that turned into cold gray smoke when he brought his axe down upon it.

“ **_How intriguing_ ** .”  Utagesh admitted, before turning his gaze on Emily, his interest all too clear on his face when he stuck his head past the fire wall’s protective circle.  “ **_You’ll make a fine plaything!_ ** ”  With a startled yelp, Emily was lifted off the ground, and yanked towards Utagesh’s outstretched hand, right towards the burning wall of flame as his hand disappeared behind it once more.

“Emily!”  Most of Vox Machina yelled, those who weren’t otherwise occupied, but she still had one Doppelganger left who was on the far side of one of the large pools of boiling blo-

**_Ka-crack!_ **

A shot rang out, and it wasn’t from Percy’s side of the room.  Emily didn’t see who stepped past the gate where the bone devils had poured out of, because her world became fire and pain and the smell of her own flesh sizzling off of her little by little.  She didn’t feel the pit fiend’s fingers curling around her waist, his six inch claws tearing through her armor like so much paper as he held her in the flames as if she weighed about as much as a wet rag.

The pain abruptly ended as it’d begun when she was dropped, a cry escaping her as she was lifted out and away from the flame.  “Emily!”  Vax called out out, her hearing dulled and her vision blurred from smoke, tears, and having most of her face burned away.  “It’s okay, I got you.   _ Pike _ !”  He cried out, the sound of gunfire and more fighting the only other sound she could hear save for the flap of raven wings as Vax carried her away from the pit fiend’s reach.  “Stay with me Ems!”  Vision swimming, Emily couldn’t speak save to rasp out in acknowledgment as her head lolled to the side.  It was then she saw the reason why her Doppelganger had failed when she’d needed it most.

The tendrils of gray Void smoke made it difficult to make out this new enemy’s features, but she saw enough to get an idea despite the pain wracking her, making it that much harder to comprehend what she was seeing.  A mostly brunette head of hair shot with streaks of gray, was tied up into a neat bun, framed a fair if cracked face of a younger woman, eyes a pale green and focused entirely on she guessed was Percy.  One hand was flesh and bone, but her other was made from the stuff of the Void itself, tendrils of smoke and inky black and dark blue magic twisting and undulating about as clawed, long skeletal fingers gripped the butt of a strange gun that also wafted with the same gray cold smoke.

“Hello Percy.”  Dr. Anna Ripley stated softly, her Void gifted hand glowing with the same cold light as the Mark which flared to life.  “Vox Machina, I have a bone to pick with you.  I’ve been given a chance to claim a bit of cold vengeance in this Hellish place.”

**End Notes** :  CLIFFHANGER!  I am so evil lol.  The Outsider’s been busy, but how is this possible?!  Well, I don’t remember who said it, but it’s been stated at least twice by now that generally bad people are sent to the Nine Hells or the Abyss, depending on their general demeanor, and Anna Ripley HAD made a deal with Orthax before being killed once and for all some time ago.  But when I unexpectedly hit upon the idea of having the Outsider giving her a chance for vengeance, well, it made this chapter, which had been giving me nothing but trouble for some time, so much easier!  It’ll make the rest of these final chapters a lot easier as well, especially since myself and Nomad have come up with a way to connect this with Death of the Outsider, albeit in our own unique fashion, so hopefully the followup chapters will come out a lot easier now that we’ve finally gotten a much better idea of what we’re working towards.  At any rate, see ya guys and gals, and now you are free to throw as much hate our way as you like lol.

**Author's Note:**

> Lol well, I don't know how the next chapter will go, but it'll likely start right after the end of this one. I have more comedy to come before the more....steamy bits come up, but it won't take that long most likely My reasoning is pretty simple though as to why Emily might let her hair down, repeatedly, with certain members of Vox Machina and their extended network of friends, although I'm sure many of you can figure it out before the next chapter comes out. And it won't be only her getting steamy between the sheets, but she'll likely be the reason if nothing else. Anyway, enjoy! And I do apologize in advance, I normally don't post erotica of any kind, so I'm hoping I don't offend anyone too badly with whatever I get brave enough to post.
> 
> See ya, and thank you PercivalDeRoloIII and Mr Cynical for your respective stories that inspired this one. Give them a look if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed. Peace!


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